Darkness
by Tori Stone
Summary: Erm...my response to my own proposition. Heh. BUT this was all SAILORMOONLUVER218's plot idea! Yay sailormoonluver! Uh...yeah. Read it.
1. What Would You Do?

**Before I say anything else, the plot credit goes to sailormoonluver218. Look at you, being all brilliant and whatnot (;**

**Ohmahgawsh.**

**This one was fun to write.**

**I have a funny story at the end of this chapter about my favorite word in the world.**

**Hm...I don't have any funny college stories today. Sad day. But hey, it's only Monday. The week is still young. XD**

**Hope you guys enjoy this one. I don't own Danny Phantom or the movie _Most._**

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><p><strong>Darkness<strong>

**Chapter One: **What Would You Do?

**September 12, 2011**

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><p>"Alright, so...what was your most embarassing moment?"<p>

"I'm not about to tell you!"

"Oh come on! Nothing we talk about here will leave this room, I swear."

"I'm pretty sure Tucker has this room bugged for these kinds of occasions."

"Sammm..."

"Fine! When I was in fourth grade, I had to wear a bright pink dress to school because all of my other clothes were in a suitcase that had gotten lost on the way back from a trip with my family. It was humiliating."

"I vaguely remember that..."

Sam swatted his arm playfully. "No, you really don't. Because if you did, you would die."

Danny laughed. He was sprawled across his bed, lying on his side to stare up at Sam. She was sitting cross-legged on his bed, facing his door. "Aw, come on. It wasn't that bad. You looked cute."

"I didn't know that the word 'cute' could ever be applied to me." Sam grumbled.

"Of course it can! You're cute, Sam. Trust me." Sam glanced at him, and they both looked away and blushed a deep shade of scarlet.

"Okay, my turn. Hmm...what was your scariest ghost battle?"

"Oh that one's easy. My first was my scariest."

"What? Your first was against...the Lunch Lady. You think she was scarier than...oh, I don't know...Pariah Dark, _King_ of the Ghosts?"

"Well, yeah, he was scary. But I had an idea of what I was doing then. With the Lunch Lady, I didn't know what the heck I was doing. Plus, she kidnapped you. I was really scared that she had done something to hurt you and that I wasn't going to be able to protect you. You have no idea how scary that was for me, not knowing where you were or if you were okay..." His blue eyes peered up at her, guaging her reaction.

"You shouldn't have come after me," She said quietly.

"What?" He sat up and stared at her. "I'm sorry, did you just say that I _shouldn't_ have come after you?"

"Yes. You shouldn't have come after me. You should have left me."

"Um...are you serious right now? Is this a joke?" Danny glanced over his shoulder, as if waiting for Tucker to pop out and say 'Fooled you!'

"I'm being serious. I don't want you to come after me. Seriously. They're only using me to get to you when that happens. Don't give them what they want by coming after me. Do what you think is best for everyone, not just for me."

"What if I want to do what's best for you?" He asked, leaning toward her pointedly.

"Okay...imagine this. You work as a bridge operator. The kind that fold up when a tall car passes beneath it. Now, imagine you took me with you to work one day. You lift the bridge and let me go down to the gears of the bridge to see how it works. Suddenly, a train comes along, and the bridge is still lifted. I'm trying to get your attention, but you don't see me, so I try to lower the bridge. I end up falling and getting caught in the gears. The train has 200 men, women, and children on board. There's no time for you to get down to the gears to help me. So you can either lower the bridge, which would kill me, but save those 200 people, or you leave the bridge up, which would save me, but kill those 200 innocent people. What do you do?"

Danny gaped at her. "That's not a fair question!" He said indignantly when he had recovered. "That would never happen!"

"They made a movie about it. So what would you do?" Sam eyed him carefully, trying not to smile smugly as he squirmed. He opened his mouth as if to answer, but then appeared to think twice, and shut it again. His brow was furrowed. He looked truely stumped by the question.

Before Sam could get a straight answer out of him, her phone rang shrilly in her pocket. Danny watched her speak with her mother, his brow still furrowed in confusion and indecision.

"I have to go," Sam sighed, rolling her eyes and flipping her phone shut. "My parents are having a few potential clients over, and my dad always likes having me around when clients come. He says I make him look like more of a family man." Sam rolled her eyes again and pushed herself off Danny's bed. Danny watched her walk to his bedroom door in silence. "Hey, listen, think on that question, okay? I want to hear the answer tomorrow," Sam smiled softly at him before opening his door and disappearing around the corner. Danny watched her go.

_This decision should be easy,_ he thought. _Of course I would lift the bridge and save those 200 people. I couldn't just let them all die._

_But...but I couldn't just let Sam die either..._

_What if it was the other way around, what if _you_ were the one caught in the gears and _Sam_ was working the bridge? I would want her to lower the bridge, I'd want her to save all those people. I would die to save them in a heartbeat._

_But could I sacrifice Sam to save 200 people I don't know?_

"There's no way this happened," Danny growled, leaping off his bed and booting his laptop up. The screen burst to life, casting a dim glow around the otherwise darkened room. After a brief moment of searching, the plot of a movie called _Most_ popped up. Danny read the plot summary, and cringed when he realized that the father sacrificed his son to save the people on the train.

_Could I do it? If the time came, could I give Sam up to save others?_

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><p><strong>YOU GUYS, I FEEL SO ACCOMPLISHED.<strong>

**I officially got all of my friends using the word 'derp.'**

**I'm not gonna lie, it makes me pretty happy.**

**My friend texted me earlier while I was still in class, and this is how the conversation went:**

Jack: Tori

Jack: Tori!

Jack: TORI!

Jack: TORIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Me: JESUS CHRIST, WHAT? WHAT DO YOU WANT?

Jack: I'm sitting outside your class. I see your backpack through the little window by the door, but your desk is empty. Where are you?

Me: ...in the corner. Quit derpin.

Jack: Why are you in the corner? Did your teacher get you in trouble?

Me: No my partner and I moved here to get some quiet

Jack: You are such a derp.

Me: QUIT HERP DERPIN YOU FREAK

Jack: NEVER.

**Oh Jack. Forever doomed to derp.**

**Derp.**

**Favorite word.**

**Ever.**

**- Tori**


	2. Answers

**I'm having the best Wednesday...ever.**

**My 8 AM class was cancelled.**

**It's raining outside, for the first time in what feels like FOREVER.**

**And there's a party outside later. Hello, free food. XD**

**I LOVE COLLEGE. Even if it is just community college. Eh, whatever.**

**Oh AND I discovered a new dubstep song that I'm in love with. It's a remix of Eyes Of Fire by Blue Foundation (WHICH I LIKED BEFORE TWILIGHT. Stupid Twilight ruining the reputation of perfectly good songs)**

**I don't like Twilight. Sorry, Twihards. Nothing personal, I just think that real men shouldn't sparkle.**

**Hehe.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom or anything else you might recognize in this chapter. I don't remember.**

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><p><strong>Darkness<strong>

**Chapter Two: **Answers

**September 14, 2011**

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><p>For the first time Sam could remember, her heart didn't leap into her throat in excitement when she heard Danny's ring tone cutting shrilly through the night. Her first conscious thought was one of annoyance. She had been expecting his call, but...at three o'clock in the morning? <em>Really, Danny?<em>

"Hello?" She answered groggily, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Skulker and Ember, in the park. Over by our tree. I need back up, Tuck's already on his way. Sorry."

"On my way." Sam mumbled as she flipped her phone shut. She rolled out of bed, shaking her head roughly in attempt to wake herself up a little more. Not bothering to change out of her pajamas, which were a pair of sweatpants and a large t-shirt, Sam yanked her boots on and slithered out her window. She carefully shimmied down the gutter on the side of the house, landing lightly on her feet on the sidewalk below. She turned toward her scooter, which she kept parked beside her window for these kinds of occassions. Ramming her helmet on, she leapt onto the scooter and revved the engine. She took off down the street in the direction of the park.

When she arrived, the battle was already raging. Ember was screaming and shredding her guitar in a wild attempt to knock Danny out of the air. Skulker stalked through the shadows, firing missiles up at Danny when Ember was out of the way. As she watched, two missiles narrowly missed Danny; she raced forward to where Tucker was standing as they exploded over her head.

"Any luck cracking Skulker's suit?" She asked breathlessly.

"Not yet. I think he's been talking to Technus, this system he has is way high-tech compared to the last one," Tucker grumbled, punching a few buttons on his PDA. His eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion. "This is getting old."

"Tell me about it," Sam mumbled. "I'm gonna try to distract Skulker, buy you a little time," She lurched forward before Tucker could protest, leaping on Skulker while his back was turned. She locked her arms around his neck and held on tightly as he began to writhe and shout. Ember, confused at Skulker's sudden panic, paused in her shredding to glance down at him. Danny immediately shot a blast of ectoplasm at her, effectively knocking her into a near-by tree.

"Let go of me, you puny human!" Skulker shouted. He seized Sam's arms and flipped her over his head, throwing her to the ground. Sam landed on her back with such force that for a moment, the edges of her vision swam and faded to black.

"Sam!" She heard Danny cry. She'd had the wind knocked clean out of her lungs, rendering her unable to respond to his concerned voice.

"Leave her, I'll take care of her, get rid of Skulker and Ember!" She heard Tucker yell. Her vision still swam, fading back and forth between utter darkness and the night sky above her. A pair of hands touched her face, brushing her hair away from her forehead. Blindly, she registered Tucker was kneeling beside her, checking her vital signs. She felt his fingers press against her neck, searching for her pulse. Over the sounds of Danny's infuriated fighting with Skulker and Ember, Sam could barely make out the sounds of Tucker's labored and worried breathing. Her lungs felt as if they were shoved in a food compress and set on fire; she couldn't draw a breath.

She felt Danny land beside her. "Is she okay?" He asked breathlessly.

"I think she's going to be okay. I don't know if she can hear us, and she's having issues breathing, but I think she's going to be fine."

"Her head..."

"It's just a cut. I already checked it, it's not deep at all. Entirely superficial."

"It looks like a lot of blood."

"It's not. Believe me, this isn't much blood at all. If you could see yourself after some of the battles you fight, you would know that this isn't much blood at all."

Sam coughed. She rolled her her side and clutched her stomach, coughing roughly. She gasped and opened her eyes, just to find her head in Danny's lap. She sat up quickly, scooting away from Danny as she did. Her eyes were wide and wild.

"Whoa, whoa, hey, easy. It's okay. You're fine." Tucker said, grabbing Sam's arm before she could get any further from the boys. "Relax, it's okay."

"Wh-what...what happened?" She stuttered, clutching her head. A warm moisture met her fingertips; she pulled her hand down and nearly retched at the sight of her own blood.

"Easy, you're okay," Tucker murmured, scooting toward her. He pulled her hand away from the wound by her wrist, forcing her down into a laying position. "Just hold still, I'll clean and cover the cut."

Sam tried to relax, but the metallic smell of her blood was making her want to be sick. She stared at the sky and breathed deeply, trying to wash the scent out with the smells of the park. But it wasn't working.

"This is gonna sting a little," Tucker warned. Sam squeezed her eyes shut and winced at the stinging pain that washed down her spine. She always hated that part when she got hurt: cleaning the cuts hurt almost as bad as getting the cut in the first place. A small whimper escaped her lips. "I know, it's okay." Tucker said soothingly. He knew how much she loathed cleaning her cuts, as he was the one that always cleaned them. A small pang would always shoot through his chest when her face twisted in pain, but often when he was cleaning the wound, Danny would be lying unconscious beside them. His situation took their minds off of what was going on, allowed them to focus on something other than his and Sam's superficial pain.

But Danny was conscious for the first time, witnessing the nursing skills of one of his best friends, and the discomfort of his other. He watched in amazement as Tucker's hands moved gently but efficiently over the small slice on Sam's scalp. He watched the color slowly return to Sam's face as the scent of blood was finally drowned out with the stench of disinfectant. Tucker slid his arm around her shoulders and helped her into a sitting position, his weary but wary eyes on her face. She raised a single shaking hand to the cut, gingerly touching the bandages wrapped around her head.

"How did that happen?" She asked, her eyes beseeching Tucker. Wordlessly, Tucker pointed to a small, jagged rock protruding from the ground. The tip was stained red. Sam shivered and closed her eyes at the sight of her blood.

"I know you don't like blood...I tried to mop up as much as I could, I know it makes you sick,"

"I'm fine. Thanks, Tuck," Sam smiled appreciatively at him. "Luckily, my parents are out of town this weekend, so they won't have to see me in this," She gestured to the bandages wrapped like a turbin around her head.

"Nice. We should probably clear out of here before someone sees us," Tucker glanced at Danny, who was still staring in awe at his two best friends. "Hey, man, you alright? You're not lookin' so good..."

Danny shook himself. "I'm fine," He murmured. "That was just...scary,"

"Believe me, Sam and I have seen much worse," Sam nodded vehemently beside Tucker. "We've actually had worse injuries. This is nothing, she'll recover fast."

"I'm okay, Danny," Sam murmured. Danny tried to smile, but the fear he'd been experiencing while Tucker had been nursing Sam's injury made it impossible.

"I want to fly you home," He said firmly. "I want to make sure you get there alright."

Sam blinked at him. She glanced at Tucker, who nodded encouragingly. "Oh...okay," She nodded. She allowed him to pull her to her feet. "What about my -?"

"I'll take care of your scooter," Tucker interrupted, grabbing her scooter. "I'll bring it by your house later, when the sun's up. Don't worry about it, just get home and get some sleep."

"Okay. Thanks, Tuck," She smiled at him appreciatively. She turned to Danny, who was watching her with the most peculiar expression on his face. "You ready?"

"Absolutely, let's go," He stepped toward her and scooped her up in his arms. He carried her bridal style away from Tucker. "See you later, Tuck!" He called over his shoulder.

They flew to Sam's house in silence. Danny tried to forget how pale and fragile she'd looked when he first landed beside her by focusing on the feel of her arms around his neck, or the warmth she radiated, or the way she smelled; like strawberries and peroxide. Wait, peroxide? That's not right, that's not Sam...

"Danny, are you okay? You've been really quiet..." Sam asked when he phazed through her bedroom wall. He gently sat her on her matress, trying not to look her in the eye. He felt her hand against his cheek, forcing his face up toward hers. "What's wrong?" She asked softly when he finally made eye-contact with her, her eyes full of tender concern.

"I just...I hate seeing you hurt, I hate knowing that I can't do anything to help you. I hate that you got hurt in a ghost fight. And I hate the fact that I didn't know blood makes you sick, but Tucker did know. I've been hurt before, I've bled alot, so why didn't you ever tell me that it makes you sick?"

"I never told you because it isn't important. I can swallow my annoyance with blood when you're hurt, because getting you better is more important. It's not a big deal, okay? Relax."

"I can't relax!" He exploded, turning away from Sam's bed. He stalked to the other side of the room, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "How am I supposed to protect you if I don't even know how to take care of a simple cut? God, I almost panicked with I saw you were bleeding, I would have if it hadn't been for Tucker, and now I can't help but wonder what would have happened to you if Tucker hadn't been there! I would have absolutely freaked out, I wouldn't have known what to do, meanwhile you would have been in pain and you would have been sick because of the blood. I can't take care of you, Sam, I'm -"

"Stop it!" She screamed. "Stop! You can take care of me, you have always taken care of me, since the day we met! Just because you wouldn't have known what to do with a cut doesn't mean you're a failure! God, Danny, you a superhero! You take care of me and everyone else in this town every freaking day. Stop beating yourself up over some stupid little cut! This is why I want you to leave me if I ever got kidnapped by one of your enemies, because you'd absolutely kill yourself trying to save me!"

Danny stared at her. She was right, as usual, but her words made him realize something. "I would leave the bridge up," He said quietly.

"What?"

"I would leave the bridge up. I would let those 200 people die, because you're too important to me." His green eyes glowed intensely in the darkness of the room. "I couldn't lose you. Ever. I would let them die, and I wouldn't think twice about it."

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><p><strong>DERP.<strong>

**If you don't know what derp is, you are missing out on life. For real.**

**Derp - (adj.) to look/be completely stupid. Like you're having a mental breakdown, caught on camera.**

**My favorite word, defined. Well, my definition, at least.**

**You should leave me a review and tell me your definition of derp.**

**Or, you know, your opinion of this chapter. (:**

**- Tori**


	3. Tests

**If you were wondering where I've been, it's a long story.**

**I was in a bad car accident. I've been in the hospital for a while now. I got out about a week ago, and I've been struggling to catch back up with my classes. Most of this chapter was already written, I just needed to add an ending and edit. I apologize for my long absence, and I will do everything I can to ensure that this story and my other story are finished. Thank you for your patience. I hope this satisfies any frustration you may have experienced with the lack of updates on my end.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

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><p><strong>Darkness<strong>

**Chapter Three: Tests**

**November 2, 2011**

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><p>"Danny...you can't be serious," Sam breathed. "Please, tell me you're joking."<p>

"I'm not." He said firmly. He crossed the room in a few quick strides and sat on the edge of her bed, hiking his knee up so that he was facing her. "If it was anyone else, I would lower the bridge. It would absolutely kill me inside, but I would lower the bridge. But not for you. I can't lose you." His voice broke as he looked down at his lap.

"You...I...but..." Sam spluttered as he glanced up at her. "You're supposed to be a hero, Danny. You're supposed to sacrifice to save others. It's your job."

"Yeah, I'm supposed to sacrifice, but you're not, Sam! You're not the one with the powers, you're the one I'm supposed to be protecting. You're the one I'm supposed to be sacrificing for. You're not the one I'm supposed to be sacrificing. I can't do that." He edged closer to her and took her hands in his. "You're my best friend. In the entire world. You're the only thing keeping me from becoming Dan. I refuse to lose you."

Sam felt her heart accelerating in her chest. He was gazing at her intently, gauging her reactions to his words. She closed her eyes and attempted to sort out her suddenly chaotic thoughts. _He's just saying this because of the excitment from earlier. He's not thinking straight, he's still upset about me hitting my head. Let him sleep on it, and he'll come back in the morning and say he would lower the bridge...he would kill me if it meant saving other people...other innocent people..._

"I'm not going to say it." He muttered, dropping her hands. He stood from her bed and turned away from her, toward her open window. He glanced back at her. "I'll be back first thing in the morning to check on you. But I'm not going to say it."

"Say what?" Sam asked, though she already knew the answer.

"That thing you're expecting me to say. I wouldn't let you die, Sam." And with that, he was gone, flitting out the window and vanishing into the night.

Sam had a considerable amount of difficulty falling asleep that night. She rolled to her side and stared at the wall, hearing Danny's baritone voice echoing in her mind. She closed her eyes, and saw nothing but his electric green irises boring into her own violet eyes. Finally, at about 7:45, she was able to sink into a fitful sleep, just to be woken at 8 by the sounds of Tucker parking her scooter and climbing up the gutter outside her window.

"Morning," He mumbled when he had climbed through. Sam sat up, blinking groggily and rubbing the cut side of her head with her hand through the gauze. "Woah, you look like hell. Did you sleep at all last night?"

"I just fell asleep...about fifteen minutes ago," She croaked, glancing at the digital clock on her bedside table.

"Why the heck didn't you fall asleep til just now?" Tucker asked loudly, settling into an armchair shoved into the corner of her room.

"Danny stayed for a while last night. He was freaking out about how freaked out he got over me getting hurt, he started saying stuff like 'I can't take care of you,' 'I'm a failure,' blah, blah, blah. I told him that was absolute bull."

"He's got the world's worst hero complex," Tucker sighed, rolling his eyes. "Sometimes I wish he would realize that not everything is his fault, y'know?"

"I've been wishing that all night," Sam muttered, sinking back into her pillows and allowing her eyes to flutter closed. "Have you heard from him at all today? He said he was going to come over this morning, I just don't know what time."

"I haven't heard a word from him at all today." Tucker said absently. Sam laid still for a moment, concentrating on making her breaths slow and even. She felt exhaustion creeping in on her, almost making her miss Tucker's quiet exclimation.

"What the hell?" He breathed. Sam heard him stand from the armchair and cross to her window. In an instant, her eyes were wide open and she was sitting bolt-upright, her eyes darting past Tucker to whatever it was that had attracted his attention.

"What?" She asked sharply, all evidence of sleep gone from her voice as she scrambled out of her bed and stumbled to stand beside him.

"I thought I saw Dan for a minute," Tucker muttered quietly, his eyes still scanning the horizon. Sam gasped in spite of herself; the name sent shivers down her spine. "I'm sure I was just -"

The window exploded, sending them both flying backwards and crashing into Sam's bookshelf, which promptly toppled over on top of them. Sam groaned, reaching out instinctively for Tucker, who was doing the same. Their hands met amid the dissaray of the half-destroyed bookshelves and books littering the floor.

"So sorry," An alarmingly familiar, lazy drawl rang from the window. "I didn't mean to make such a mess. I merely wanted to make an entrance, you know. But then, I've never been the best at handling...ah what's the word? Subtlty, I suppose."

Sam squeezed her eyes closed, clutching tightly to Tucker's fingers. _This can't be happening, _she thought desperately. She kept her face turned down toward the carpted floor when the weight of the bookshelf was lifted from her body, and her eyes closed when a rough hand seized the scruff of her shirt and forced her into a standing position. It was not until she was shaken roughly that her eyes opened, to find the sneering face of Dan just inches from her own.

"Well good morning, Sam," He hissed. He shook her again, causing her to squeak involuntarily. Over the blood racing in her ears, Sam heard Tucker struggling to get out from beneath the bookshelves, which Dan was standing on. "I hope you're ready to play, my dear, because I have a plan. It involves both of you." He glanced down at Tucker, as if just remembering that the boy was trapped beneath him.

He threw Sam effortlessly to the other side of the room, smirking evilly when her body slammed against the far wall and dropped limply onto her bed. Tucker screamed her name loudly, just to be cut off by Dan's hands seizing him by the collar of his shirt and yanking him out from beneath the bookshelf. Dan dragged Tucker to the foot of Sam's bed, binding his wrists around the leg of the bed with a substantial amount of ectoplasm. He swung an open hand down across Tucker's face, hard enough to leave a mark, but not so hard as to knock the boy out. "Shut up." Dang growled. "You stay quiet, and I might not kill you. Or her. Might."

Tucker clamped his mouth shut, his eyes wide with fear. A dark bruise was already blossoming on the left side of his face, stretching from his cheekbone down to the edge of his jaw. He watching in silence as Dan prowled to the huddled mass that was Sam. He shifted nervously when Dan slid out of his vision. He had to remind himself how to breathe when he heard the sound of a fist making contact with flesh, followed by a low, pained groan from Sam. He nearly jumped out of his own skin when Sam suddenly slammed into the ground before him, her arms curled beneath her in an effort to absorb some of the shock from slamming into the ground. She groaned and gasped for air, her eyes squeezed shut in pain.

"What, that's all I get? Just a little groan? Go on, Sam, _scream_." Dan knelt beside her, taking her face roughly in his hand and forcing her to look at him. She narrowed her eyes to slits and glowered at him, but kept her mouth firmly closed. "Oh, so it's the silent treatment, then. I see how it is. I'm not worried. I have every intention of making you scream."

Dan planted a punch square to her stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs. She groaned again, doubling over in pain. Before she had a chance to draw a breath, Dan was swinging his fist across her face, drawing a small_ "Oh!"_ of surprise from her lips.

"We'll have to settle with that...for now," He smirked, stepping over Sam and rifling through her belongings on her bedside table.

"Are you okay?" Tucker whispered.

"Not particularly," She groaned, wincing when her body protested her movements.

"Here we go," Dan murmured. Sam's cell phone was in his hand, flipped open. He began pressing buttons, his deadened eyes on the screen. "I think it's time my past self join this little party, don't you?" He sneered down at them, before swinging his foot out and kicking Sam in the side. Tucker closed his eyes when he heard a sickening crunch, shortly followed by Sam's scream of pain. "I told you I would make you scream. This is only the beginning." He spat. He seized her by the neck and forced her into a sitting position. He shoved her backwards until she was leaning against Tucker, and shoved the phone in her face. "Call him." He instructed.

Sam raised a shaking hand and took her phone. She pressed the send button, which immediately called Danny's number. She placed the phone on speaker as the other line began to ring. She refused to look up at the piercing red eyes she knew were boring holes into her face; instead, she kept her eyes trained at the small picture of Danny that had popped up on her screen. She drew comfort from the bright blue eyes on the screen that smiled up at her.

"Hey, I was just about to come over. Everything alright?" Danny's voice came through the reciever. Sam's breath hitched in her throat; for a moment, she could not speak.

"D-Danny?" She breathed.

"Sam? What's wrong? You sound hurt..."

"I...um...Danny, listen to me...that thing we talked about...last night...I need you to hold on to that, okay? Remember what I've asked you to do...I need you to do that for me. Do you understand?"

There was a long stretch of silence on the other line. Sam drew a shaky breath, wincing at the stabbing pain in her side that came with her expanding lungs. _Broken ribs_, she thought.

"I'm coming over. Right now. Is Tucker there?"

Suddenly, Dan snatched the phone out of her hand. He tossed it to the bed just above Sam and Tucker's heads, and seized Sam by the throat. Lifting her up so that her feet were dangling above the floor, he squeezed, feeling her windpipe closing beneath his hands. "No! Stop it, let her go!" Tucker shouted.

"Tucker? What's going on? Who's there?"

Sam's legs kicked out wildly while her fingers scrabbled on the back of Dan's hand. She could not draw a breath. The pain of where he had abused her before was now to the point that she could barely get her eyes open. Dan slammed her into the ground by Tucker's feet._ "Sam!"_ Tucker screamed desperately.

Dan stomped the heel of his boot into Sam's wrist. She screamed, long and painful, tears streaming down her face and into her hair.

"Leave her alone,_ leave her alone!_" Tucker screamed, struggling desperately against the bonds that held him to the bed.

"Time for you and I to disappear," Dan hissed quietly as he seized Sam by her upper arm. He tore through the hole where her window used to be and rocketed away from Sam's house, laughing maniacally at Tucker's pitiful screams that were quickly fading away.

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><p><strong>I'll warn you now, it will probably be a while before this can be updated again. I won't leave you all hanging for as long though; I have two papers due by next week that I need to get started on, not to mention several small projects and tests to make up. I will return to this as soon as I can.<strong>

**Again, I apologize for my long absence.**

**I didn't sustain any brain damage, I'm still my old self. I'll be back to joking around by the next chapter, I promise. I just felt the need to retain my seriousness when I explained what happened to me to you all. I genuinely appreciate your loyalty, you guys are fantastic. Not a day went by that I didn't think about you all.**

**- Tori**


	4. Problems

**I'M ALIVE.**

**Sort of.**

**I kind of fell apart there for a few months.**

**BUT I'M BACK (:**

**I feel horribly evil with this chapter. :D I took a few elements from one of the best episodes of my favorite TV show, _Criminal Minds_, and added them to this chapter.**

**SO EVIL. NO JOKE.**

**Huh...I don't really have anything else to add to this, other than I'm SO HAPPY to be back (:**

**I don't own Danny Phantom or anything else you may recognize in this chapter.**

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><p><strong>Darkness<strong>

**Chapter Four: **Problems

**December 19, 2011**

* * *

><p>"Sam! <em>SAM<em>!" Tucker screamed. There was no response. Desperate, manic tears were spilling from the corners of his eyes as he struggled fruitlessly against the bonds that held him to Sam's bed. Dan had already been gone for three minutes; it seemed like an eternity to Tucker.

"_Tucker_!" Danny's voice half-shouted from the window. Tucker craned his neck and caught sight of his best friend skidding to a halt beside him. "What's going on?" He asked breathlessly as he ripped the bonds away from Tucker's wrists.

"It's Dan! Dan took Sam!" Tucker shouted. He scrambled to his feet and seized Danny's shoulders the moment his hands were free and shook him desperately. "Dan took Sam and they're gone!"

"Tucker, calm down! What do you mean, Dan took Sam? What happened to your face?" Danny pointed to the bruise that was quickly darkening on his best friend's face.

"Nevermind that! _Forget about me_! AND DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! DAN HAS SAM, SHE'S HURT REALLY BADLY! _DON'T TELL ME TO BE CALM_!" Tucker felt the veins in his neck bulging as his voice strained and cracked.

Danny blinked, the reality of what Tucker was saying slamming against him like a ton of bricks. His eyes roved the room, quickly surveying the damage. There was no one, absolutely no one else in existance that could cause that kind of damage other than Dan himself.

"But...but how...how did he get...when did...I don't..." Danny felt his throat closing as he realized that Dan was, indeed, back. "_Sam_!" He gasped, clutching the front of Tucker's shirt as sheer panic set into his bones. "How hurt is she?"

"He beat her up really badly," Tucker said, his face contorted with worry. "She needs to go to the hospital, she's got several broken ribs at best," Tucker made a distressed noise in the back of his throat, shifting his weight anxiously from foot to foot. "We need to find her."

"I need to find her. You need to go to the hospital," Danny said firmly. "You do. You're of no use to her if you're hurt."

"But he just -"

"We don't have time to argue!" Danny shouted. "Which way did he go when he flew out of here?"

"My back was to the window, I didn't see!"

Danny shouted incoherently, his frustration, fear, and worry making it impossible to speak._ Think_, he told himself. _Where would Dan take her?_

_He would want to make sure that I wouldn't be able to find them._

_So where would the last place I would ever look for my mortal enemy be?_

"I know where he went!" Danny shouted. "Go to the hospital, I'll meet you there!" He tore out the window without waiting for Tucker's response. Amity Park was a blur beneath him as he rocketed toward the last place he would ever look for his enemy: his own home.

* * *

><p>"Sam...oh Sa-am..."<p>

Sam groaned, squeezing her eyes shut. She was having the worst nightmare: Dan had returned, kidnapped and tortured her. It felt real; her whole body ached. Especially her side. Her right wrist twinged painfully as she curled her fingers into a fist.

"Sa-am..."

She nearly retched when rancid air washed over her face. Her eyes snapped open, just to find a pair of bright red eyes inches from her face. She cringed away, just to find that she was slumped against a cool, metal wall. Her hands instictively flew to either side of her body. The moment her right hand made contact with the ground, a sharp pain shot up her arm, causing her to scream in pain.

_So it wasn't a dream._

"Well, good morning, love," Dan chuckled. Sam glared up at him fiercely through the tears that streamed down her face. "Oh, tut tut. No need to be so angry," He ran a thumb across her cheek, wiping a tear away. She hissed and cringed away from his touch. "Oh, come now. Don't you want to know what my plan is?"

Sam planted her gaze firmly on her knees, fighting the nausea in the pit of her stomach from the building pain in her body. She heard Dan make an impatiant growl. Suddenly, he seized her face and forced it upward, so that her eyes were forced to meet his. "I expect you to pay attention when I am speaking to you, girl." He slammed her head into the wall, feeling a rush of pleasure when she grunted in pain.

"Now," He said briskly when her eyes met his. "My plan is simple. My weak past self will be devestated to learn that I've kidnapped you. He will be so determined to save you from harm that he will walk directly into my trap, like the imbicile that he is.

"You see, I've done a lot of thinking, cooped up in that wretched thermos all those months. And when I was first formulating this plan, I thought to myself, 'Where would Danny think I've gone once I take his beloved?' And the answer was so clear: he would expect me to take you somewhere unexpected. He would assume that I am clever enough to go somewhere he would never look. So, naturally, he would start somewhere he considers safe, a haven of sorts. His home. So in preperation for this little event, I've set a marvelous trap at Fenton Works."

Sam felt the blood draining from her face. Dan was right; Danny would guess that Dan would take her somewhere he would never look. If the trap Dan set for Danny at Fenton Works didn't kill Danny, it would certainly delay him from finding her. She was trapped here. She clenched her jaw and swallowed hard.

"Meanwhile, I've got some fun planned for the two of us!" Dan said cheerfully, turning away from her and bounding across the room. She attempted to straighten up, clutching her bad hand to her chest and leaning heavily on her good hand. She scanned the room, searching for anything familiar that would tell her where she was, but she appeared to be in an average laboratory. Dan's back was to her; he appeared to be rummaging through a crate. She bit back the urge to scream in terror.

"Here we go," Dan said, straightening up and turning back toward Sam. Two very long wooden stakes were in his hands; Sam's eyes were glued to them, a spreading sense of extreme terror fogging her mind and blocking her throat. She felt her chest compressing; she gasped for air. Dan crouched in front of her, his eyes on her face. "We're going to have a lot of fun today, dear Sam," He whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>Alrighty. Well.<strong>

**Next chapter will be up soon. Very soon. And I'm gonna go all _kinds _of _Criminal Minds _on that chapter.**

**In case any of y'all watch CM, the episode I got this from is _Lauren._ I cried at the end of that episode. Legit. 'Cause Prentiss is my FAVORITE. AND THEN THEY WENT AND DID THAT TO HER. LIKE WHAT THE HECK IS THAT, MAN. WHAT THE HECK.**

**I'm so happy to be back (:**

**If you're happy that I'm back, you should review (:**

**Reviews make me happy (:**

**- Tori**

**PS:  
>If any of y'all have Twitters, you should totes follow me! A_shadeof_Gray (: I never post about my writing, mostly because most of my friends don't know I do this, but I have some pretty funny tweets. For example, last night I tweeted:<strong>

**"I'm at the mall seeing #SherlockHolmes on the last weekend before Christmas and I'm armed with a 6-foot-tall ginger. #stayawayfromme"**

**FOLLOW ME (:**

**I LOVE YOU :D**


	5. So Just Pull The Trigger

**Back again. :D**

**I had been planning on the climax being in this chapter...but it didn't work out that way. Instead, I left you with another cliffy. *evil cackle***

**BEFORE YOU START READING THIS CHAPTER: Please go you YouTube and type in "Russian Roulette". It's a song by Rihanna. [Click on the one that reads Russian Roulette - Rihanna (Official Video). It's not really the official video, but the music video is kind of long and not worth watching. The back drop on this one is red with a black and white anatomically correct heart in the center of the shot.] If you've never heard it before, go watch it. It's important to this chapter.**

**Umm, soo...yeah. I don't own Danny Phantom. Or _Russian Roulette_. I just bought RR on iTunes, but I don't think that counts. Meh. OH and I don't own _Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows_ (which is where I got the idea of the speakers from. Not exactly like what was in the movie, but hey, I was inspired by it).**

**Enjoy (:**

* * *

><p><strong>Darkness<strong>

**Chapter 5: **So Just Pull The Trigger

**December 22, 2011**

* * *

><p>"You know what I missed most while I was trapped in that infernal thermos?" Dan drawled lazily. He was lounging in a spinning chair on wheels, turning a single wooden stake over in his fingers. The other stake was on a desk beside Dan. Sam was huddled in a corner, attempting to make herself as small as possible.<p>

"What?" She whispered.

"Music. Oh, I missed music. Strange, I know," He chuckled, pointing the stake at her before turning it over in his hands again. "But I missed it so desperately." His eyes glazed over as he stared into space, as if remembering a fond, but long-passed memory. "I missed singing most of all. I loved to sing. I wasn't ever particularly good at it, though I thought I was when I was young. I used to love listening to people sing." He glanced down at Sam as if just remembering she was present. "Sing for me, Sam."

"What?" She coughed, her eyes widening in confusion. "I can't sing -"

"I said sing for me."

"I don't -"

"_Sing!_"

She hesitated a moment longer, before closing her eyes and drawing in a shaky breath. "_'Take a breath. Take it deep. Calm yourself,' he says to me. 'If you play, you play for keeps. Take the gun, and count to three.' I'm sweating now, moving slow. No time to think, my turn to go. And you can see my heart beating. You can see it through my chest, that I'm terrified, but I'm not leaving. I know that I must pass this test, so just pull the trigger. 'Say a prayer to yourself.' He says 'Close your eyes, sometimes it helps.' And then I get a scary thought: that he's here, means he's never lost. And you can see my heart beating. You can see it through my chest, that I'm terrified, but I'm not leaving. I know that I must pass this test, so just pull the trigger. As my life flashes before my eyes, I'm wondering will I ever see another sunrise? So many won't get the chance to say goodbye, but it's too late to think of the value of my life. And you can see my heart beating. You can see it through my chest, that I'm terrified, but I'm not leaving. I know that I must pass this test, and you can see my heart beating. You can see it through my chest, that I'm terrified, but I'm not leaving, no. I know that I must pass this test, so just pull the trigger._" Her eyes fluttered open, her whole body trembling, as she finished the quiet tune.

Dan watched her, his expression unreadable. He stood slowly, gliding across the floor toward her. Her eyes flickered between his face and the wooden stake still clutched in his fist as he approached. She felt her body fighting the urge to tremble when he knelt before her, his eyes even with hers, the point of the stake even with her heart. He glared at her, the fury in his eyes radiating against her skin. She fought to draw a breath through her terror, but just before she nearly lost her composure and screamed, she saw Danny in her mind's eye. _Stay strong, _he whispered. _I'll be there soon. Everything will be alright. I promise._ Sam bit her lip, closing her eyes and seeing his cobalt eyes full of protection and worry. She drew strength from them.

"You are a useless little brat, you know," He snarled. He seized her bad wrist with his free hand and squeezed, chuckling ominously at her squeal of pain.

He strolled casually back to the seat he had occupied before, ignoring the way the girl slowly calmed herself. He turned his back to her, facing a small speaker set up on the desk before him. A rather long antenna extended from the back of the speaker, its' signal deeply embedded into the Ghost Zone. He smirked, imagining the tower that had been constructed by the girl, Danny, and the technological one..._what was his name again? Ah yes, Tucker_. The signal from his little speaker, which had a microphone built in as well, would bounce from that tower to the identical speaker he had set up in the lab of his old home...of the boy's home. The speakers would be vital to his plan.

"_Sam!_" A frantic voice called faintly through static. Dan leaned forward immediately, his face splitting into a mirthless grin. Everything was going exactly as planned.

"Sam!" Danny called. He leapt down the stairs and landed in a crouch in his basement. The lights were off, plunging the room in darkness. Silence met his ears; he strained to hear any noise that would tell him where in the room Sam was.

Cautiously, Danny took a single step forward. He was given about two seconds' warning due to the sounds of a machine whirring to life, before he fell flat on his back. A blade of ectoplasm narrowly missed his head; it pinned him to the floor, rendering him immobile. To his horror, the lights of the basement flashed on, revealing his parents' completely empty lab. The door slammed shut, sealed by a wall of ectoplasmic energy that spread to the walls, floor, and ceiling. Danny was trapped.

"_Nice of you to join us, Daniel._" A familiar voice rang. Danny craned his neck, searching for the source of the voice, just to find that the room was empty. "_It's useless for you to look for me. I'm not there. You see, I knew you would be expecting me to travel to your house, thinking that I would go to wherever I believed you would never look. So I set that trap for you there. It's working beautifully, might I add,_"

"Where's Sam?" Danny asked sharply.

"_You get right to the point, don't you?_" Dan drawled. "_But, of course, this is Sam we're talking about here...of course you're concerned. Sam is right here, doing just fine. Would you like to see her?_"

Danny couldn't respond. A swirling mass of ectoplasmic energy formed above him, forming a window into a rather familiar lab. Dan was smirking down at him. Wordlessly, the window shifted to reveal Sam. She was slumped in a corner of the lab, her face turned down, her eyes averting the window. Danny heard a frustrated growl from the other end of the window.

"_Sam, what did I tell you about not looking at people when they are trying to talk to you?_" Danny watched in horror as Dan crouched before Sam, seized her roughly by the neck, and began slamming her into the wall. "_When...people...are...talking...to...you...you...must...make...eye...contact!_" He punctuated each word by slamming her into the wall. Danny's heart shattered when he heard the pitiful sobs that tore through Sam's throat as Dan stepped away. For a moment, she did not look up, but after taking several deep breaths, her weary violet eyes met his through the window. She looked dreadful; her face was pale and bruised. Danny felt his body lurching toward the window involutarily as the savage need to protect her made his vision swim. Her brows knit together as tears filled her eyes.

"_Danny,_" She whispered. Her chin quivered as she gasped. Her body twitched as she screwed her eyes shut from the pain of her broken ribs pinging against her expanding lungs.

"Sam..." Danny gasped. He tried to tell her not to be scared, that he would find his way to her, that he would save her, but he couldn't seem to make the words form in his mouth. He did his best to communicate what he was feeling with his eyes, and from the look she was giving him, she seemed to understand exactly what he was trying to say.

"_I know,_" She whispered. "_It's okay._" She shifted slightly, attempting to alleviate some of the pressure of her injuries.

"_So, here is my dilemma, Danny._" Dan mused. "_You see, someone is going to die today. Either you, or dear Sam here. And I am leaving the decision to the two of you. This should be interesting,_" He chuckled humorlessly.

"Me." Danny said immediately. "Kill me, release Sam."

"_No!_" Sam shouted. She winced and gingerly touched her side. "_Danny, think about this logically. If I die, it's not going to be a big deal. If you die, all hell will break loose!_"

"I will not let you die. I have a choice, and I'm not letting you die. You are just as important as I am."

"_In what world? Whose life would be in danger if I was gone?_"

"Your family! My family! Tucker and his family! Me," Danny's voice broke. "It would destroy me to lose you,"

Sam blinked, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. "_It would destroy me to lose you, too. But it would also destroy the world to lose you. You named ten people who would miss me if I died. I can think of seven billion people who would be effected by your death. Danny, seriously. We've talked about this,_" He closed his eyes, remembering their conversation from just 24 hours before. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"I told you my view on the subject." He muttered through gritted teeth. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but the small rational part of his mind understood Sam's point. The world needed him, or rather, Danny Phantom, to protect it from evil ghosts. Ghosts like Dan.

"_Danny, please,_" Her hoarse voice was just barely louder than a whisper. "_Don't do this. Don't do it to the world. They need you. Desperately. They don't even know how much they need you._"

Danny met her gaze through the window. Her violet eyes, which he had seen show a large variety of emotions, seemed dull and lifeless now. She was deadset. Danny knew it was a lost cause. He clamped his eyelids shut and turned his face away from the window, not wanting to watch what would happen next.

"_Have we come to a decision?_" Dan asked.

There was a pause. Danny kept his eyes closed, determined to block out as much as whatever would happen next as possible. "_Yes,_" He heard Sam say. "_Me._"

Danny held his breath, every nerve on overdrive, every muscle tensed. Silence met his ears. He waited.

* * *

><p><strong>And so will you.<strong>

**HAHAHA.**

**I promise you, NEXT CHAPTER, the Criminal Minds will begin.**

**I'm so excited. SO EXCITED.**

**And for those of you who believe that this story will have a negative outcome, you should REALLY go check out my profile. REALLY. (:**

**Drop a review, please. I'll love you forever. And if you're crazy enough, I'll mention you in my A/N on the next chapter. I've been known to do that from time to time (:**

**- Tori**


	6. Dark As The Night

**So my computer crashed on Christmas Eve. The same day my dog almost died. Fantastic.**

**But I'm back now and my dog's alive and kickin'. (:**

**This. Was. SO EPIC TO WRITE.**

**I went back and rewatched the episode of Criminal Minds. Particularly, the scene between Morgan and Prentiss, for those of you who are familiar with the episode. _Lauren_ is the name of the episode, for those of you who are not familiar with it. If you want to see the clip I based it off of, go to YouTube and type in "Criminal Minds Emily dies" there's like five different ones you can watch.**

**SO EPIC.**

**I just finished _The Hunger Games_ trilogy. I cried. Not gonna lie.**

**The reason I mention that is because I got the tone of this chapter from that series. Also, I got the bit of Danny in his parent's lab from _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_ (the scene where Hermione is being tortured in Malfoy Manor, the way Ron reacts to it). SO, I believe the list of things in this chapter that I do not own goes (in no particular order): _Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, The Hunger Games, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, _and last but DEFINITELY not least, Danny Phantom.**

**Okay. I think that's everything. Gah.**

**Enjoyyyyyyy (:**

* * *

><p><strong>Darkness<strong>

**Chapter Six:** Dark As The Night

**December 29, 2011**

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><p>Once, when Sam was seven, she fell and broke her arm. She literally tumbled down from the top of the stairs in her house, taking care to hit every step on the way down. At first, all she felt was confusion. And then she looked down. And saw a single, jagged piece of bone protruding from her otherwise flawless skin.<p>

At the time, it felt like her world was ending.

Looking back on it, it was really more of a scratch compared to the pain Dan inflicted on her in one fluid motion.

He had stabbed her. She hadn't even been prepared; she didn't even have enough time to gasp. The point of the wooden stake drove directly into her stomach. She could feel it inside her body.

The pain was so intense, she couldn't scream. She couldn't even draw a breath. _I'm in shock_, she thought faintly. _I'm in shock because there is a piece of wood in my stomach. _It was not until the second stake had lodged itself in her left shoulder that she screamed.

Long, drawn out, gutteral screams. The kind that start right at the base of your spine and convulse through your entire body until they find their way to your throat. The desperate sounds of a dying animal.

Somewhere deep down, it registered with Sam that making these noises would greatly upset Danny. Might drive him to insanity. Because if the roles were reversed, if she was on the other end of the speakers, if it were Danny making these noises while she stood by, completely helpless to save him...she would do _anything_ to reach him.

With the most effort it had ever cost her, Sam clamped her mouth shut. She felt her body folding over the stake in her stomach, the stake in her shoulder touching her knees as she drew herself inward into the fetal position. In the space of sound following her silence, Sam heard several things:

First, Dan was not laughing, as she had expected him to be. In fact, it sounded as if he was fighting with someone. The sounds of knuckles meeting flesh, of claws tearing through fabric, of grunts of pain reached her through the haze of pain. _Danny must be here_, she thought with weak happiness. Good. At least now he would be able to take her body back to her parents.

Second, the sounds of desperate screams cutting through static reached her. At first, they were unintelligable, but as she listened closer, she realized it was her name. Someone was screaming her name repeatedly. No, not someone...Danny was screaming her name repeatedly.

But that didn't make any sense...Danny was here, fighting Dan. Wasn't he? If that wasn't Danny fighting Dan, then who was it?

Suddenly, the sounds of the fight were cut off. A mass crumpled to the floor. She felt an incredibly painful tug in her shoulder, followed quickly by a similar feeling in her stomach. Sam's strength flooded out of her body as a large pair of exceedingly gentle hands lifted her from the floor. A familiar aroma filled her nose; she couldn't quite place it, but she didn't worry much, as it invoked a feeling of complete safety in her belly. The last thought that formed in her mind before she dropped into oblivion was: _Danny, I love you._

* * *

><p>Danny was not aware of how long Sam had been screaming. It could have been seconds, it could have been hours. It may as well have been months for the effects it had on him. He could literally feel her pain through the speakers. He became infintesimally aware of the fact that he was screaming his own head off, shouting his throat raw. But he didn't care. The discomfort he felt was nothing compared to what Sam was feeling. The window had cut off just moments before her screams began.<p>

He became aware that tears were streaming down his face. He could feel the veins bulging in his neck and temples as he strained to reach her through the speaker. He realized that he was sprinting back and forth across the floor of the lab, desperately beating the ectoplasmic walls with his fists in a fruitless attempt to escape and ignoring the pain of the burns the ectoplasm left on his hands.

The sounds of Sam's screams went through him like physical pain. His chest constricted so that he began to choke and cough after he gulped down air. It was while he was choking that Sam's screams suddenly stopped. Fearing the worst, he began screaming her name even more loudly than before, hoping that somehow, she would answer him, assure him that she was safe, that he could come and find her, that Dan was gone forever...

But slowly, he began to realize that the fact that she was no longer screaming could mean only one thing: his entire world was crashing down around him, that he no longer had a reason to fight, that he would do well to dive head-first into the ectoplasm on the walls around him. As he moved to do so - while sending a quick mental message to Sam that he loved her and he would be there with her soon - the ectoplasm vanished. He started, not quite believing what he was seeing, before taking off through the ceiling before it had the chance to re-activate his ectoplasm prison.

He rocketed across the tops of the buildings of Amity Park, not entirely sure where his body was taking him, but allowing his primal instincts to take over. The reasonable part of his brain tried to understand why the walls had suddenly stopped working. It would mean that the person who put the walls there was gone. Dead. But Ghosts are already dead. What happens to a ghost if it's killed? Where does it go? And most importantly in his current situation, who kills them?

_Start from the beginning_. Dan had known Danny would go to Fenton Works. He knew that Danny would rush in without pausing to consider a threat, because he knew Danny's judgement would be clouded from the threat on Sam's life. If Dan knew all of those things, where would he keep Sam?

_Somewhere comfortable for him_, a small voice in Danny's head said.

Yes, somewhere comfortable. Now where would Dan be comfortable? Well, the answer would lie within who Dan is: half Danny, half Vlad. Vlad was obviously a bit more potent than Danny, but still. Where would Vlad/Danny feel most comfortable?

_Near the Ghost Zone_, that same small voice said.

Near the Ghost Zone. That would mean being near a portal. There were only two constant portals to the Ghost Zone. The first was in Danny's parent's lab. The second was in Vlad's lab.

Just as he realized where he needed to go, he realized he was already there. His ghost senses had carried him right to Vlad's front door.

Without pausing so much as to knock, Danny phased through the doors and shot through the floor. His vision was obscured momentarily by the darkness of being in the ground, phasing through rocks and dirt and concrete foundation, before he found his way to Vlad's lab. And what he found within the lab shocked him.

The speaker on the desk was spattered with blood. Or, what appeared to be blood. Danny went to it immediately, his eyes on the thick green ectoplasm he realized was a ghost's version of blood. So a ghost had been attacked here. His eyes roved over the rest of the scene, taking in the overturned chairs, the bloody handprints, the occasional shattered glass vial or beaker. But his heart stopped when he found a pair of bloody wooden stakes tossed carelessly in the very corner he had seen Sam hunched in through the window. He went to them, dropping to his hands and knees, and feeling tears rolling down his face and sobs wracking his body as he realized that it was real, human blood on the stakes. He nearly retched when he realized that they were laying in a fair-sized pool of human blood.

There was no one around. Sam and Dan were both gone. And by the looks of it, at least one of them was critically injured. While a desperate part of his brain began trying to formulate a plan to find Sam, he realized that he no longer felt a instinctual pull toward her. Which meant only one thing: even if he _did_ find Sam, it wouldn't be her. It would be the shell of a spirit, an empty body. Sam was gone.

A new thought formed in his desperate, grieving mind: maybe she would be there, in the Ghost Zone, waiting for him to find her. But that thought went as soon as it came; he knew she wouldn't be there. She wasn't be the kind to get trapped by this world or its' mirror. She would have gone on, away, to a different place where he could never reach her in this life.

And he knew that if he went to look for her there, she would never accept him.

So he lay there, curled on his side, his eyes fixated on the blood that had once coursed through her beating heart, unseeing and unfeeling. It was over. It was all over. He waited there, waited for the people to come, to see what had happened to her, to wail and lament and grieve with him, to realize that the light of the world had gone out because of one sick, twisted person bent on spreading darkness and despair to the world.

No one came.

* * *

><p><strong>And...CUE THE GOOSEBUMPS!<strong>

**Just kidding. Kind of.**

**I got a little teary writing that last paragraph. It's a little exhausting, trying to imagine the feeling of losing the love of your life and writing how you would react. That's how I would react at first, anyways. Break down.**

**Or, you know, that's how I think I would react. Because all my life, I believed that if I was ever held at gunpoint, I would be calm and try to talk the gunman out of shooting me. Then I had a dream where I was held at gunpoint, and I just broke down crying and begging him not to kill me.**

**Then again, I had a dream where I was an FBI agent in a house that had a serial killer trying to break in. He shot me and I played dead long enough for him to turn away from me, and then I shot him, saving the whole family in the house.**

**BAM!**

**Man, that was SO off topic.**

**If y'all haven't seen it yet, I've started a new story called All Around Us. Go read it. I'm gonna update it right after I'm done updating this one. It's considerably lighter than this one. If you're looking for something light to read. You know. (;**

**Okay, so. To the story. Tell me how you reacted to it. Seriously. I wish I could be there to watch all of y'all reading this. Not to sound like a creeper. I just want to see what you guys think at my attempt of ripping your hearts out (;**

**So you know the drill.**

**Pwease.**

**:D**

**- Tori**


	7. Blinded

**I don't really know how to describe this chapter, other than me ripping your heart out a little more. Hehe. :D**

**Bet y'all forgot about Tucker, huh?**

**I DIDN'T.**

**This chapter focuses on him. Be prepared.**

**And this story is farrr from over. Okay, maybe not far. But we still have a ways to go. Trust me. It's always darkest before the dawn. (:**

**I don't own Danny Phantom. Meh.**

**Enjoy (:**

* * *

><p><strong>Darkness<strong>

**Chapter** **Seven**: Blinded

**December 30, 2011**

* * *

><p>Danny had been laying there for two days before someone finally found him. Vlad had come home from a trip out of state, intending on depositing his briefcase in his lab before heading back upstairs to nap in his giant, king-sized bed when he found Danny curled in a ball in a corner. At first, Vlad thought the boy was dead, what with all the ghostly ectoplasm and human blood on the floors. But he quickly realized that some other beings had left the mess, that Daniel had found the mess, and that he had officially lost his mind.<p>

The boy had retreated within himself. Vlad had to practically drag him out of the lab before the boy's eyes even registered life. He blinked, peered up at Vlad, and ducked his head down to his knees.

No amount of coaxing or pleading could get him to divulge what had happened in the lab. Vlad couldn't even get the boy to speak.

Overwhelming worry for the boy overrided Vlad's instinct to attack him; afterall, this was Maddie's son, his nephew of sorts. When Vlad realized that the boy would not speak, he raced to his phone. His fingers hovered over the numbers, however; should he call Daniel's parents? Maddie would accuse Vlad of hurting her son, which would do no good; he could call the goth girl, she seemed to be a constant fixture around the boy. He dialed her cell phone. No answer. He dialed her home phone. The butler said she was missing. Odd. Probably out searching for Daniel.

Who was left? Not Jasmine. She knew of Vlad's secret. She would surely accuse him. So that left...the technological one. He dialed the number, listened to the other line ring once, before a voice rang in his ear.

"Hello?" He sounded exhausted, strung out, desperate. Briefly, Vlad wondered when the last time this boy had seen Daniel had been. If that was why he sounded so frail and terrified.

"Mr. Foley?" Vlad said tenatively.

"Yes? Who is this?"

"This is Vlad Plasmius. I just found Daniel."

"Oh my God. Is he okay? Is Sam with him?" He sounded manic, like he would crawl through the phone line if he could.

"Daniel is...physically unharmed. And no, she's not with him. Mr. Foley, I found Daniel in my lab. Curled in the fetal position." Vlad went on to describe how he believed Danny to be dead until he realized that the blood and the ectoplasm did not belong to Danny. "Do you know who it does belong to?"

There was silence on the other end of the line. "The last time I saw Danny, it was just after the last time I saw Sam. Dan came back. He kidnapped Sam. Danny was chasing them. He sent me to the hospital, because Dan hurt me and Sam before he took Sam. Danny said he would meet me there. He never came." His voice was rough.

Dan. Of course. "Dan was not here when I found Daniel. Neither was Samantha."

At the sound of her name, Danny looked up. His hand reached, his fingers opening and closing in a "gimme" motion toward the phone. Wordlessly, Vlad handed the phone to him.

"She's gone," His voice was ragged, harsh, hollow. "She's dead. Dan killed her."

Vlad watched in shocked silence as the boy broke.

* * *

><p>Tucker always envied machines. The way they worked without the flaw of emotions. No distractions. They were designed with a purpose, a single reason for existance. He had always nursed a crazy desire to be a machine. If he was a machine, he would never need to worry about getting hurt. Ever.<p>

Not the way he was hurt now. If he was a machine, he would not feel himself shatter into a million pieces upon discovering that his best friend, his single link to the female universe, had been terminated. Obliterated. Wiped from the face of the earth.

Distantly, he heard Danny weeping on the other end of the line. He heard his broken sobs. He felt a primal urge to join him, to howl and wail and beg the heavens to return Sam to them, but his body was motionless. The tidal wave of emotions he felt remained locked tightly inside, tearing him apart.

He registered that Vlad was speaking to him. Assuring him that he would return Daniel safely. That he would make sure that Daniel got home, got to bed, got to a place where he would not hurt himself. And Tucker was glad. Glad that he would not have to see the broken remains of what was once his best friend, his hero.

He sat on his bed for an extended amount of time after Vlad hung up, just staring at a blank stretch of wall opposite him. Trying to wrap his mind around the idea that Sam was gone. That he would never see her again, never tease her for her ultra-recyclo vegeterianism. He would never feel a wave of appreciation every time she stood up to Dash and Paulina, because she would never be there to stand up to them again.

The tears came, but the sobs didn't. He merely sat in silence, allowing the tears to fall down his face slowly. No one would ever know the real reason she died, he knew. Because having to explain that she was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by a ghostly hybrid of Danny and Vlad that had escaped a future world that no longer existed would not go over well, even with the Fentons, who were accustomed to the most strange portions of the paranormal.

A sudden memory came to him. A sunny summer morning, one in which Tucker had trekked to Sam's house to wait for Danny to wake up and meet them there.

_"Tucker, what would you want from me if I died?" She asked, picking at a spot on her comforter._

_"What do you mean?" He asked slowly._

_"I mean, if I died...what would you want from me? Like, would you want a letter, a video, a picture..." She studiously avoided his gaze._

_"I don't know. I guess I would want a video. You know, that way I could see you and hear you."_

_She nodded. He remained silent, waiting for her explination. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately. About what would happen if I died. I wouldn't want to leave you guys. Just like it would kill me if you guys died." She huffed for a moment before tearing her eyes away from the comforter and meeting his gaze. "If I die, I want you do to something for me."_

_He nodded, remaining silent. She turned to her bedside table, fished around in the drawer for a moment, before coming up with a CD with his name written across it in her tidy scrawl. "If I die, I need you to watch that. Just you. Understand?"_

He understood. He took it home and stuffed it in a drawer in his desk. Hoping and praying that he would never have to watch it.

It was all he could do to keep himself from tearing across the room to the drawer. He ripped it open, dug for a moment, and found it settled at the bottom. Shining up at him. He took it gingerly in both hands, his eyes on his name. He brushed his thumb across it lightly, as if hoping that the surface would still hold some of the warmth her hand had given it as she wrote his name.

He didn't remember putting the CD in his computer, but the next thing he knew, he was settled in front of the screen, waiting as his DVD player picked up on the CD's presence. He couldn't help it; he lifted his hand to touch the screen when Sam's face appeared. She was smirking at the screen, her eyes downcast. He pressed play.

_"Hey Tuck. If you're watching this, I'm dead. Or, I should be dead. If I'm not dead, and you're watching this, so help me God, I will murder you in your sleep. Understand?"_ She paused, her accusing eyes meeting his through the screen, before she softened. _"Okay. If I really am dead, then I need you to do a favor for me. In my room, beside my bed, there's a loose floorboard. I need you to go to my room and open the floorboard. You'll know what to do when you get to that point. If my parents aren't letting you in, get Danny to help you. It's really important that you do this as soon as possible. Preferably before my funeral."_ She paused, her eyes sliding out of focus, as if the idea of having a funeral for herself was impossible, a far-fetched notion even in the most strange alternate universe. She shook her head. Her eyes refocused. _"Please, Tucker. Hurry."_

The screen went black. And Tucker was on his feet. He was sprinting from the house, down the sidewalk. Tearing to her house. His hands slammed into the gutter outside her room. He was climbing it faster than he ever had, his eyes trained on her window. It was still open.

He was met by no barriers as he crouched beside her bed, his fingers testing each floorboard, his breathing haggard. Finally, he found the loose floorboard, which he wrenched up. Inside, he found five CDs, quite like the one he had just watched. Written on each CDs were names: _MOM AND DAD; GRAMMA; JAZZ; TUCKER; DANNY._ A paper beneath the CDs caught Tucker's eye. He grabbed it, his eyes sliding across the message written in Sam's familiar scrawl.

_Give each person their DVD. Please. Last gift to me. I love you so much. Thank you._

He held the CDs in his hands as if they were precious pieces of gold. He knew he couldn't give her parents or her grandmother their CDs yet; not until they realized that she wasn't coming home again. No, for now, he would allow them to believe her to be missing, to continue their fruitless search for the girl that had left their world. He would deliver Danny and Jazz's, before returning home to watch Sam's last gift to him.

He slid down the gutter slowly, carefully holding the CDs between his teeth. When his feet hit the pavement, he started a slow walk to the Fentons, not wanting to arrive before Danny. He knew Danny would be out, gone, dead to the world. He knew Danny wouldn't resurface for a while. He would need to go inside himself and find some portion of his soul that hadn't been shattered. He would have to rebuild himself around the idea that the girl that had been his light was gone. And Tucker would give him space and time. The two things Danny never seemed to have.

He arrived at the Fenton's front door twenty minutes later. Mrs. Fenton appeared a nervous wreck; she had heard about Sam's disappearence, noticed Danny's, and figured the worst had befallen the young couple. Danny was back, though. Not himself, but back. She allowed Tucker upstairs, hoping that his presence would snap Danny out of whatever trance he was in.

But it was not Danny Tucker came to see. It was Jazz's door that he knocked on softly. She opened the door a crack, her face creased with worry. Her blue eyes, so similar to Danny's, found his. Saw the pain rooted in his forest green irises. And in that moment, she knew. He watched as the realization hit her. She stared at the floor and tried to catch her breath. The one person in the trio that Jazz calculated had the best odds of survival was the first to go. Her future sister-in-law, gone. Impossible.

Wordlessly, Tucker stuffed the CDs bearing Jazz and Danny's names in her hands. He turned to leave, glancing at the firmly closed door of his best friend's room, when he heard it.

"I can't do this, but I'm doing it anyways." Sam had said it once, during a huge ghost attack. She had been on the roof of Fenton Works, hands firmly grasping the rails. Standing between Danny and Tucker. She had muttered it under her breath, her eyes on the advancing army. It had stuck with Tucker ever since, calming him on the nights he woke screaming from the nightmares brought on from years of ghost hunting and being hunted by ghosts. Jazz whispered it now. Tucker stopped, turned his head, met Jazz's gaze.

"It goes on," Another one of Sam's phrases. One she murmured to herself once after Paulina 'accidentally' dumped a vat of some sort of soup all over her in the cafeteria. _"In three words, I can summon up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."_

Tucker watched Jazz turn her face away, succumbing to tears. She knew. Tucker knew she would take care of Danny. She would make sure he slept, he ate, he continued surviving, until he was himself enough to do it on his own.

_Now, if only there was someone else to do that for me_, Tucker thought bitterly.

* * *

><p><strong>D':<strong>

**SO SAD.**

**Bet you're curious now, aren't you? :D**

**You'll just have to wait.**

**HAHA.**

**I'm so evil! I LOVE IT!**

**:D**

**- Tori**


	8. The War Keeps Raging On

**Longest chapter yet!**

**I'm at 4,490 words. That's before commentary (:**

**This is my favorite chapter yet. No joke.**

**Lots of emotions. Lots of heartache. Lots of love (:**

**That's all I'm gonna say.**

**Well, that, and I'm seriously adoring this story. ADORING. I love the roller coaster ride this has taken me on, and I hope you guys are enjoying it as much as I am (:**

**I don't own Danny Phantom or the song at the end of this chapter.**

**Enjoy (:**

* * *

><p><strong>Darkness<strong>

**Chapter Eight: **The War Keeps Raging On

**December 30, 2011**

* * *

><p>Jazz was a bit apprehensive about watching her DVD. She placed it in her laptop and watched as it was cued up. She looked at Sam, who had a small smile on her face. As if she were totally at peace with the idea that she was dead. That this was her last message to Danny's older sister.<p>

Sam and Jazz had never had a particularly strong relationship. Sam put up with Jazz because she was Danny's big sister. She was smart. She did come in handy once in a blue moon during ghost fights. Jazz admired Sam's strength, her utter disregard for the negative opinions of others. Often, she wished she could be as brave as Sam. She wished she could sprint head first into certain death without so much as a backwards glance the way that girl did. But mostly, she envied Sam. She envied the way Sam could hold Danny's attention for so long. How he could be thinking about her, unconsciously organizing his life around her, even when she wasn't around. Jazz was supposed to be his sister. He was supposed to look up to _her_, not Sam.

But that was all over now. The center of his world was gone. And he was left trying to reestablish his center of gravity._ How strange, how difficult it must be for him to be faced with such an impossible task. It would be so interesting to observe, to take notes. It would make one _hell_ of an application essay for colleges...but that's no way to think! After all, he is my little brother, I should be feeling awful for him. I should be trying to help him, not observe the way he grieves her life!_

She wondered what Sam would have to say to her. If she would have anything to say at all. _Of course she has something to say_, Jazz thought reasonably. _Why else would she make a DVD for me?_

Cautiously, as if it were a bomb on the verge of exploding, Jazz pressed play.

_"Hey Jazz,"_ Sam waved, smiling awkwardly._ "If you're watching this, it means I'm dead."_ She paused, glancing down at her hands, before continuing. _"And if I'm dead...I need you to do something for me. Danny and Tucker...they don't know how to handle life without me. I know that sounds selfish and self-centered, but honestly, they don't. They need someone to keep them grounded, to keep them from doing stupid things. Jazz, I need you to look after them. Make sure they keep functioning. I'm sorry that I died. I left you in a bit of a mess. I'm assuming they're both upset...unless things have drastically changed since I made this video. I'm hoping they haven't. I'm getting off-topic...look, I need you to take care of them. Please. It's the last thing I'll ever ask of you. Literally. I'm sorry you and I were never better friends. I...well, I was always a little intimidated by you. I would get so nervous when you came around, because you're nowhere near as clueless as Danny. I knew you knew the way I felt about him...and I was always so afraid that you would tell him. You may have, who knows? Anyways,"_ She took a deep breath. _"Jazz, you're amazing. You really are. You'll have colleges begging you to come to them, paying you to attend school with them. I just know you will."_

Jazz allowed one sob to escape her chest, before clamping her hand over her mouth. No one could hear her. Not yet.

_"Do you remember the night Vortex came to Amity Park? As a fire storm?"_ Jazz nodded, remembering the sheer terror of that evening. Sam and Danny had gotten seperated from the rest of the group; they were trapped in the basement of an old house on the edge of town while the rest were escorted into a ghost-proof bunker the town had invested in per her parent's request._ "I wrote a song about it. It was one of the most terrifying nights of my life. Danny and I almost died. There's a second scene of this DVD, it's the song. I want you to listen to it...and when he's ready...show Danny. But make sure he only hears that song after he watches his DVD. Okay?"_ Jazz nodded again, not caring that Sam couldn't really see her. _"Thank you, Jazz. For everything. I...I love you. I'm sorry I was never nicer to you while I was alive."_

Jazz blinked the tears out of her eyes. The second scene was starting. Sam was settled on her bed, a guitar in her hands. She was looking down at the strings. She began to strum a soft, haunting melody. Her voice was clear and high, just as haunting as the melody of the strings. It fit the evening it was written on perfectly.

When she was finished singing, she shot one last half-apologetic, half-longing look at the camera, before the screen went black. That was all Jazz had left of the gothic woman who was once going to be her sister-in-law. There had been no doubt in Jazz's mind that Danny and Sam would get married. It was just a matter of how long it took Danny to realize what a dolt he was. To ask her out. The rest of their lives would fall into place after that. It all hinged on when Danny would overcome his fear of rejection.

But it appeared that he overcame too late. She was gone, snatched from him and the rest of the world, before he even had a chance to say the words he had been feeling for weeks. Months. Years, even.

Jazz clenched her jaw, closing her eyes and allowing the tears to spill over. It wasn't fair. None of it was fair. Sam deserved a life, she deserved happiness. She deserved to be with Danny the way Jazz knew they both wanted to be with each other.

The overwhelming need to protect her brother, to take some of the pain he felt in his heart, to ease the strain of extreme loss suddenly washed all other thoughts from Jazz's overactive mind. She snatched Danny's DVD from her desk and quietly stole across the hallway. She knocked on his door. He did not reply. She did not expect him to.

She slid in, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. He was curled on his bed, his knees to his chest, staring at the wall. His eyes were bloodshot. His face was pale. He was trembling. Jazz practically ran across the room. She sat beside him and held him, her arms wrapping tightly around his shoulders. He leaned into her, closing his eyes for a moment. She rocked him back and forth in small, comforting movements. She ran her fingers through his hair, gently massaging his scalp the way she knew he liked. She felt him shaking with effort to not cry.

"It's okay. You can let go."

And the floodgates broke.

* * *

><p>Tucker stood in the center of his bedroom when he got back home. His laptop was still open, though the screen was black. He glanced down at the DVD in his hand, wondering if he was prepared for what was on it. He wondered what Sam would say to him. He wondered how he would react to it.<p>

_I shouldn't have to be thinking about this_, he thought angrily. _She should be here, telling me what a moron I am. She shouldn't be dead. She should freaking be _here_. She should be telling Danny how she feels about him, because everyone knows but him. He should be telling her how he feels about her, because everyone knows but her. They should date. They should get married. And they should live happily ever after, giving hope to everyone that true love does exist. That maybe life isn't a hopelessly lost cause._

Tucker glared at his reflection in the mirror. _I should have protected her better. I swore to Danny I would protect her. With my life. I failed him._

_It's my fault._

He threw himself into his computer chair, replacing the first DVD with the second one with rough, choppy movements. He pressed play.

_"Hey, Tuck. If you're watching this, I'm dead."_ She paused. His heart broke all over again. _"And it's not your fault."_

He paused the DVD. He closed his eyes. _"It's not your fault."_ So she knew he would blame himself. Even before she knew the way she would die, she knew he would blame himself. _Perceptive little goth._ He pressed play.

_"Tuck, you're my best friend. I'm so grateful to have known you. You are the single most funny, charming guy I've ever known. Somewhere out there, there's a girl for you. Just...when you meet her...try to lay off on the pick-up lines..."_ He laughed. She knew him too well.

_"I hope I made you laugh just now."_ He smiled. _"And I hope you're still smiling."_ He shook his head, his grin widening. _"Quit shaking your head!"_ He threw his hands up defensively, as if she could see him. Because for a second, it felt like she could see his movements. She laughed for a moment, before her smile faded into a more serious gaze. _"Look...I'm sorry I died. Now don't go getting mad at me for apologizing what I more than likely couldn't control. I'm sorry. Really. I wanted to be there to see you graduate, go to college, find a job, get married. Have kids. I wanted to be Auntie Sam more than anything in the world. And I'm sorry that I've missed it._

_"I need you to do something for me. Again. I ask so much of you...I'm sorry. But I need you to watch over Danny. I need you to make sure that he doesn't do anything...stupid,"_ Tucker nodded. He knew exactly what she meant._ "He needs to stay alive. He's the only thing keeping Amity Park in one piece. Without him...everything will fall apart. Keep him going, for me."_ She smiled. _"I don't really know what else to say, other than I love you so much more than you could ever imagine. Oh!"_ She slapped her hand to her forehead. She slid a drawer open and dug through, searching for something. Tucker leaned forward, peering at the drawer like if he leaned far enough, he would be able to see whatever it was she was searching for. Finally, her face lit up. She lifted something from the drawer. Something gold. Something shining.

_"It's the Orbint 5000. It's not supposed to be released into the market for another four years. I got it early. For you."_ She smiled, tears welling in her eyes. _"It's right here, in this desk drawer. Under a wooden shelf. Next time you're in my room, grab it."_ Tucker realized his mouth was hanging open in shock. _"Don't try to not take it. I'm dead. It's not of any use to me anymore."_ She looked at the camera for a moment, her face twisted with sadness. _"I love you Tucker. Forever. No matter where I am, in this world or whatever lies beyond. Don't you ever forget that."_ She stared at the camera for a moment longer, before smiling. _"It goes on. It always goes on. Love you, Tuck."_ She blew him a kiss. The screen went black.

Tucker leaned back in his chair, his heart racing._ How did she get her hands on that? Four years before it's released to the public? The Orbint 4000 hadn't even been released yet...she is incredible._

_She was incredible._

* * *

><p>Danny clung to Jazz like she was his last link to life. She leaned back, her back resting agains the headboard of his bed. She waited patiently for him to cry himself out. Finally, he quieted. His arms were still wrapped tightly around her waist, his head resting in the dip between her shoulder and neck, when he spoke for the first time since the phone call with Tucker at Vlad's mansion.<p>

"She...she's...d-d..."

"I know, sh-h-h. You don't have to tell me. I know."

And that was just one of the many blessed qualities of his older sister. She knew. Always. He never had to explain himself. She just understood.

He sensed that there was something she was keeping from him. Something she wanted to tell him, but was afraid of how he would respond.

"What?"

"She...she left something. For you."

Danny tensed._ Sam...left something? She knew she would die?_

"She left me and Tucker something too. I think it was a...just in case...kind of a deal."

"What is it?"

"A video."

He paused. "Do you have it with you?"

"Yes."

"I want to watch it."

"Right now?"

"Yes."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No."

He felt her nod. His laptop was at the foot of his bed. She leaned forward and grabbed it, popping a CD with his name into the slot. It whirred for a moment, before her face appeared on the monitor. Danny gasped, feeling a wave of sobs erupt in his chest. But he held them back. This was too important to miss because of his tears. Jazz pressed play.

_"H-Hey, Danny,"_ She bit her lip. She was nervous._ "If...if you're watching this...then I'm dead."_ Danny shuddered. Ice lodged itself in what was left of his heart at her words. _"Um...okay, look. This is the third time I've tried making this video for you. It was so simple with Jazz, Tucker, and the others. I just talked. It was so easy. But with you..."_ She paused, her violet eyes searching his through the screen. _"Nothing's ever easy for me with you. Ever. There's something that I need to tell you. Something I hope I've already told you by the time you watch this. But, just in case I haven't...Danny, I love you. I'm in love with you. I have been for years and...and I'm sorry I never got the courage up to tell you to your face. I wish things had been different between us."_

Danny closed his eyes for a moment, allowing her words to sink in. She had felt the same way. He missed his chance. _"If you feel the same way...then...we're idiots, aren't we?"_ She laughed, glancing down at her hands. He nodded, a half-sob, half-laugh escaping his lips. _"If you didn't feel the same way...then it's okay. Don't feel bad. I understand."_

But her eyes told him that she didn't understand, and that she didn't ever want to understand. The same way he felt when he considered the possibility that she didn't love him the way he desperately loved her. "I do love you...so much..." He whispered. He touched the screen, his fingers dragging across her face. Jazz tightened her grip on Danny's shoulders, as if hoping she could keep him from falling over the edge.

_"Okay. Well. I feel better. I'm not done yet, though. There are some other things that I need to tell you."_ She glanced down again. Bit her lip. _"If I died in a ghost attack or something...it's not your fault. I don't care who or what or how or when or why, it's not your fault. At all. Ever. Okay?"_ He nodded._ "Okay. Second, if you've completely shut down...snap out of it. I don't want you do turn into a hermit because I'm not around anymore. You have a job to do. You're Danny Phantom. You have other lives to protect. Your parents need their son. Jazz needs her brother. Tucker needs his best friend. And you need them too."_ She bit her lip again. She seemed to be battling herself for a moment, before coming to a resolve.

_"You know what my favorite moment with you is?"_ He shook his head. _"It's that afternoon you and I flew over Amity Park. Ember had put everyone but us in a trance. You were flying us to the music store. The sun was setting. It was beautiful outside. And you...you looked amazing. You looked so strong and fierce...like you could beat death itself if you wanted to."_ He remembered that flight. It was one of the best he'd ever had, mostly because of the girl he had been carrying beside him.

_"Alright...well...I could literally keep talking forever. But I can't. Because you need to move on. Keep living. I'm not there anymore, and it makes no sense for you to dwell on something that no longer exists."_ He blinked, a single tear spilling over onto his face._ "There's something on Jazz's DVD that I want you to watch, when you're ready. It's a song I wrote about the night Vortex came to Amity as a fire storm. You remember,"_ He nodded, remembering that evening.

_The ghost sirens started blaring at about 5 o'clock that evening. Everyone blinked, asking dumbly if it was a drill. Of course it wasn't a drill. There had only ever been one drill of the ghost alert system. It had been mass chaos then. But that drill couldn't even hold a candle to the pandamonium that broke out at the sound of those sirens. People streamed out of their houses and began to run aimlessly, screaming and pointing. The threat wasn't even in sight yet._

_Danny tripped out of his house, jumping backwards from the people running, flattening himself against a wall. His parents were at his side in an instant, Jazz on their heels. There would be no chance to become Danny Phantom that night. Their grips were vice-like on his arms. He allowed them to cart him off in the direction of the Ghost Bunker._

_"Stay here, we'll be back!" Maddie had shouted. She disappeared into the crowd with Jack at her side. Danny watched them go, his heard racing uneasily._

_"They'll be back in time," Jazz said uncertainly._

_Danny didn't respond. He was watching the entrance to the bunker, searching for his best friends and their families. He spotted Tucker's beret bobbing and weaving through the crowd. Spotted the immaculate hair that could belong to no one other than the Mansons. He scanned the flow of people carefully, searching for the jet-black ponytail belonging to his best friend. It did not appear._

_"I have to go find her," Danny muttered to Jazz. Without waiting for a response, he raced into the oncoming crowd, fighting his way to the entrance. He sprinted down the sidewalk, ignoring his ghost sense. Sam's mansion slid into view; he could see her through her window sitting in her room on the second floor. She was listening to her music and fiddling on her laptop, oblivious to the mass chaos on the streets below her. Danny ducked into the alley behind her house, flashed to Phantom, and raced to her room._

_"Come on, we have to go!" He shouted, ripping her headphones out of her ears. She jumped and shouted indignantly, obviously caught off-guard by his sudden appearence. He grabbed her and soared back out the window._

_The streets were empty, he realized. He felt his heart sink. That would mean that the Ghost Bunker was sealed. Which meant that no one - human or ghost - could get in._

_"Danny!" Sam screamed. He whipped around in time to dodge a huge fireball. Vortex was above them, laughing maniacally while he threw giant fireballs down on the city. Danny shot through the streets, squinting through the smoke, trying to find somewhere safe for them to hide. Finally, he saw it: an old house built entirely of concrete. He prayed that she would be protected from the flames as he phased through the walls and floors._

_"Stay here!" He shouted as he dropped her in the basement. He was turning to leave when he felt her fingers close around his wrist._

_"Don't leave me here alone!"_

_And that was all it took. Danny dropped to his feet and led her to a corner of the basement. He held her while she shook. The could hear the destruction outside the windows of the basement, which miraculously held. The attack went on all night. Danny peered through the window at one point. Everything was on fire. Sam tried to look after him, but he stopped her. "Don't you dare," He whispered. "Everything's on fire."_

_Her eyes widened. She leaned back, away from the window. He resumed his hold on her._

_"That was literally the scariest night of my life,"_ Sam said through the screen._ "But at the same time...I felt so content. You were there with me. I don't think you ever actually opted out of a fight to stay with anyone before. I'm sorry I was selfish and asked you to do that. But I'm so glad you did,"_ Danny smiled. He was glad he did too. It was one of the only times he ever felt like he could reveal everything to her. He didn't hide his feelings for her that night, the way he kissed the top of her head while she dozed off against his chest. Whispered that he would never leave her, never let her go. _"Remember that night when you miss me. Remember the way I was just over your heart. I'll always be with you, as cheesy as that sounds."_ She smirked. _"I love you. So much. Always, always, always."_

The screen went black, but the vision of her face remained imprinted on the insides of his eyelids. Where he suspected it would remain for the rest of his life. She was there. He felt her in his heart, spreading warmth through his chest. He closed his eyes and smiled.

Jazz sniffed. Danny glanced up at her; tears were streaming down her face. "I think she wrote the song from your point of view," Jazz mumbled, her voice thick with tears. "I think she wrote it the way she thought you felt that night."

"I want to hear it," Danny whispered.

Jazz replaced Danny's DVD with her own. She skipped forward to the scene Sam intended for both of them to watch. She was sitting on her bed, a guitar in her lap. Danny held his breath and listened.

* * *

><p>"The ghost is gone."<p>

"Explain."

"Icestorm destroyed him."

"And what of the girl?"

"She is alive. She will live."

"Excellent. Excellent."

* * *

><p><strong>Safe &amp; Sound<strong>

**The Civil Wars and Taylor Swift**

**Original Soundtrack of The Hunger Games**

_I remember tears streaming down your face_

_When I said I'll never let you go_

_When all those shadows almost killed your light_

_I remember you said_

_'Don't leave me here alone!'_

_But all that's dead and gone and past_

_Tonight_

_Just close your eyes_

_The sun is going down_

_You'll be alright_

_No one can hurt you now_

_Come morning light_

_You and I'll be safe and sound_

_Don't you dare look out your window_

_Darlin' everything's on fire_

_The war outside our door keeps raging on_

_Hold on to this lullabye_

_Even when the music's gone_

_Gone_

_Just close your eyes_

_The sun is going down_

_You'll be alright_

_No one can hurt you now_

_Come morning light_

_You and I'll be safe and sound_

_Ooh_

_Ooh_

_Oh oh_

_Oh oh_

_Ooh_

_Ooh_

_Oh oh_

_Oh oh_

_Just close your eyes_

_You'll be alright_

_Come morning light_

_You and I'll be safe and sound_

_Ooh_

_Ooh oh_

_Ooh_

_Ooh oh_

_Ooh_

_Ooh oh_

_Ooh_

_Ooh oh_

_Ooh_

_Ooh oh_

_Ooh_

_Ooh oh_

* * *

><p><strong>If you haven't heard that song yet, GO TO YOUTUBE AND LISTEN TO IT. NOW. I COMMAND YOU.<strong>

**I can't stop shivering at the sound of her voice. Gah.**

**Hehe. I don't know what else to say. :D**

**I love you for reading this!**

**Stay tuned! (:**

**- Tori**


	9. Come Morning Light

**Oh my God, I haven't updated since last year!**

**IT'S 2012!**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

**K, I'm done.**

**This is a happy(ish) chapter. You'll understand.**

**If you haven't listened to Safe & Sound by Taylor Swift and the Civil Wars yet, GO LISTEN TO IT. NOW. IT'S WORTH IT. TRUST ME. I CAN'T STOP LISTENING TO IT. YOU WILL DIE FROM GOOSEBUMPS/SHIVERS/AWESOMENESS.**

**Potatoes.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

**Enjoy (:**

* * *

><p><strong>Darkness<strong>

**Chapter Nine: **Come Morning Light

**January 1, 2012**

* * *

><p><em>Well, death is a curious thing.<em>

_It almost feels like life._

_Except there's no pain here._

_Oh...oh, okay. Ow. Nevermind, there's pain here afterall._

_Strange._

_Okay...I have arms and hands. Legs. Feet. Toes. Fingers._

_Death is a lot like life._

_Well that just goes against everything I learned in life._

_I must have a brain. No other way I could be thinking._

_I think._

_Is that a bed I'm laying on? Why is it so cold?_

_I feel._

_What is that scratching noise? Why is it so close to me?_

_I hear._

_What is that terrible taste in my mouth?_

_I taste._

_The air smells clean here._

_I smell._

_Those...those lights...so bright..._

_I see._

_Just close your eyes..._

_You'll be alright..._

_Come morning light..._

_The song. My song._

_I remember._

_Slowly, slowly. Don't frighten anything away. Don't disturb whatever you're around. Slowly, Sam. Slowly._

_Sorry, but 'slowly' isn't exactly a common word in my vocabulary._

_I'm still sarcastic. Yay._

"Companion of Danny Phantom?"

_That's a great way to start a conversation with me._

Sam moved slowly. Her eyes opened to slits, blinking rapidly to adjust to the lights around her. She groaned. "Where am I?"

"In Frostbite's domain,"

_Frostbite?_

_The ghost?_

_I'm in the Ghost Zone?_

"Am I dead?"

"No. Quite the opposite, in fact."

_I'm alive?_

She felt her heart leap into her throat. With the help of the furry creature beside her bed, she sat up. She took in her right arm, which was splinted in a make-shift cast. Her entire torso was wrapped tightly in cloth, which had light red stains over the wound in her shoulder and stomach that made her squirm in discomfort. The bandages around her head, which had been nearly torn to bits while Dan had tortured her, had been replaced. Her entire body ached, but as she checked herself over, she realized that she had been very well cared for while she was unconscious.

"How did I get here?"

"Frostbite heard your pleas for help and attended to the situation."

"How did Frostbite hear me?"

"Ah! She is awake!" A deep, familiar voice rang from the doorway. Sam turned and saw Frostbite, as tall and menacing as ever, smiling happily at her through his fur. "I heard you through a strange human device we found floating just outside this domain. Icestorm, you are releaved," The creature beside Sam's bed nodded, stood, bowed, and left. Frostbite took his seat, still smiling jovially at Sam. "It began immitating your screams. I tracked the signal and found you in the lab of Vlad Plasmius with an evil ghost by the name of Dan Phantom."

"Where is he?" She asked, glancing at the door again.

"He will not be bothering you anymore," Frostbite said solemnly. "Icestorm destroyed him. You are safe."

Sam nodded, leaning back into a pile of soft pillows behind her. "How long have I been here?"

"Five days."

_Sweet Jesus._

"Where's Danny?"

Frostbite blinked. "Danny Phantom?"

"Yes. Danny. Where is he?"

"I...I was not aware...I didn't...um, I didn't contact him."

Sam stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"We didn't try to contact him."

"Why not?"

"We did not think that a ghost of his status would be free to come recover you from our care. We assumed that you would journey back to the human world alone (with our assistance, of course) and would surely run into him there."

"You mean, no one's even tried to tell him where I've been this whole time? He's had no idea where I am, or even if I'm alive or not?" Vaguely, Sam was aware that her voice was rising to hysteria. "He's been thinking that I'm dead this whole time?"

"Calm yourself, child," Frostbite said soothingly. "We had no way of contacting him. We would be more than happy to escort you to the human world if that is what you desire."

"Of course it's what I desire! Take me to Amity Park, _now!_" Frostbite stood and scooped her easily up in his arms. Within moments, they were soaring across the Ghost Zone. Sam glanced about nervously, half expecting Danny to be floating along, lost in the half-way world between life and death. That he would be a full ghost. That he would be lost to their world forever.

"Amity Park," Frostbite said moments later. They were on a street near the park, ducked in a shadowy alley. Sam took a few uncertain steps forward, trying to find her bearings. She seemed steady enough.

"Thank you," Sam murmured to Frostbite. "I'm sorry I got so upset. I just...I need to see him. I got scared. Thank you for taking care of me, though,"

"You are very welcome, human child," Frostbite said warmly. He patted her on her right shoulder with a trash-can-sized paw, before turning and vanishing into the Ghost Zone.

Sam turned back toward the street. She paused at the corner, glancing in each direction to assure that no one would see her emerge from the alley. Satisfied, she began the journey across town to the Fenton's. Her parents and Tucker would have to wait.

Moments later, she was knocking on the Fenton's front door. She could hardly contain her anticipation to see Danny again; it felt like it had been weeks since she laid eyes on him. She heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She heard the click of the lock sliding out of place. The doorknob twisted. Jazz appeared in the crack between the door and the doorframe.

Her eyes showed nothing but disbelief. "S-Sam?"

"Hey, Jazz,"

"But...but...you're...you're _dead!_"

Sam winced. "N-no, I'm not. I'm right here. Where's Danny?"

Jazz blinked in dumbfounded disbelief, before her eyes narrowed to slits. "This isn't funny. I know you. You're Amorpho. You're here to screw with his mind. You're a sick, twisted_ bastard_. You think this is some kind of joke, her _dying?_ Do you have any idea of how _hard_ he's taken this? And you have the _nerve_ to show up here pretending to be her. You're _sick._ You deserve to rot in _hell_."

"Jazz! I'm really Sam, I swear!"

"I don't believe you." She turned, the door swinging shut. Sam sucked in a deep breath.

"_Just close your eyes,_" She sang softly. Jazz froze. "_You'll be alright,_" Jazz turned toward her slowly, her expression unreadable. "_Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound.._."

"Oh my God," Jazz whispered. "It's...it's really you!"

Sam nodded.

"What happened to you?"

"Dan. He attacked me. He almost killed me. He stabbed me...twice."

"You need to find Danny. _Now_."

"That's why I'm here."

"Danny's at the park. With Tucker. I'll give you a ride. Come on, we have to hurry!"

* * *

><p>"I miss her," Danny said offhandedly, picking grass out of the ground. He was curled beneath a tree in the park, Tucker sprawled out beside him. They were sitting beneath the very tree Danny had fought Skulker and Ember around earlier in the week. The last fight Sam would ever help him with. <em>Stop it.<em>

"Me, too," Tucker sighed. He was tracing the outline of a jagged rock protruding from the ground; a rock with a curiously red-stained tip.

Danny paused, allowing a gentle breeze to blow his hair away from his face. "It doesn't seem real,"

"I know what you mean."

"I keep expecting her to call me...to text me...or to just show up at my house the way she always did. I swear, I smell her on half the stuff in my room."

Tucker nodded, his eyes fixated on a spot far in the distance, which told Danny that Tucker wasn't really present for this conversation. He was lost in his own thoughts, which suited Danny just fine.

"Sometimes...sometimes I even think I can hear her. Especially when I'm outside. It's like I can hear her voice." Danny closed his eyes. He was experiencing that very sensation as he spoke. "Like right now. I swear I can hear her calling my name right now."

Tucker sat up, his eyes suddenly alert. "That's not just you, man. I can hear it too." He was on his feet, peering down the hill they were settled on. Danny stared, his heart hammering in his chest as he watched Tucker's face.

_"Danny! Tucker!"_

"There it is!" Danny said, joining Tucker. His eyes roved over the field, which was jotted with the occasional pedestrian, tree, or bush. Sam was no where to be seen.

"Oh...oh. It's just Jazz," Tucker murmured. Danny turned his face away, trying to hide the sudden bitter tears that sprang up in his eyes. "Man, for a second, it really sounded like -"

Danny looked up. Tucker's eyes were fixed on a spot in the distance again, his mouth hanging open in shock. Danny followed Tucker's line of vision, which was fixated on Jazz. No, not Jazz. The girl next to Jazz.

The girl with jet-black hair. The girl with bandages around her head. The one with blood-stained cloth peaking out beneath her black tank-top. The one with sparkling violet eyes.

Tucker was staring at Sam.

* * *

><p>Sam bit her lip when Danny's eyes found hers. His gaze was so intense, she couldn't look away. As if she wanted to.<p>

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Sam felt as if she had departed from her body, watching the scene unfold from above. Danny was on his feet before Tucker even had a chance to clamp his mouth shut. He was at the bottom of the hill before Tucker could scramble to his feet.

He stopped three feet in front of her. "You...you're..." He choked.

"I'm alive," She whispered.

She stepped toward him cautiously, her arms up for a hug. Danny accepted her, raising numb arms to enfold her in a gentle, reserved hug. This wasn't how Sam wanted it. She wanted him to be crushing her against his chest, running his fingers through her hair, possibly crushing his lips against hers. She wanted to feel him, because that was the way it always had been for them. Each hug was intense, a celebration that they were both still alive. Not this pathetic excuse.

She pulled away from him just as Tucker made it to the bottom of the hill. His eyes were clouded with tears as he hugged her. His arms were so much stronger against her back than Danny's. He was so much more..._there_. The way Danny was usually there when he hugged her. Sam winced, feeling a shooting pain in her stomach that was echoed in her left shoulder. She was aware that Danny's eyes were on her face as she pulled away. _Make a better effort to hide your pain._

"Is it really you?" Tucker asked, his voice hushed with excitement.

Sam couldn't find her voice. "It's really her," Jazz said. Sam nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. The pain of her body, which had been reduced in Frostbites domain, was significantly stronger now that she was on her feet. It was an effort just to stand.

"You need to get to the hospital, you look like you're about to pass out," Tucker said nervously.

Sam waved him off. "I'm fine," She tried to take a step forward, but stumbled over her own feet. Danny caught her, his grip on her arms gentle, but strong. She leaned into him.

"I'll take her. Meet you guys there?" She heard him say. She heard their murmured agreements. And then she was in his arms, flying effortlessly through the air.

Before she knew it, Danny was landing. Flashing to Fenton. Hustling her through the doors of the emergency room. "She's been badly injured," She heard him explaining.

And then she was being passed from the comfort of Danny's arms to a gurney. Someone was carting her off to the back of the emergency room. Danny wasn't with her. She threw her right arm back, reaching blindly for him, what she intended to be a call for him to come with her turning out to be a strangled yelp.

She felt the doors close behind her. Danny wasn't coming after her.

Something was very, _very_ wrong.

Practiced hands worked over her body. Exposing each injury to harsh, chilly air. She groaned.

There was a prick at her left arm, and the next thing she knew, she was swimming in dark unconsciousness.

* * *

><p><strong>Uh-oh.<strong>

**You'll have to wait and see (:**

**I get so tired of asking for reviews. So I'm just gonna stop (:**

**It's currently 12:26 AM. I've been up since 5 AM. Goodnight.**

**Thanks for reading! Stay tuned!**

**:D**

**- Tori**


	10. Safe And Sound

**OH HEY.**

**I'm updating twice in one day. BOOM. ON MY GAME.**

**Well, kind of twice in one day. The stupid website says the last time I updated was 12/31/11. But really it was 1/1/12. I swear.**

**I SWEAR.**

**Anyways...**

**I'm pretty sure I'm only gonna do one more chapter after this one. We'll see. But JUST IN CASE:**

**1) For those of you who have been religiously following this story since its' humble beginnings back in September of '11, THANK YOU. Your support has meant the world to me. Lots and lots of difficulties arose in the course of writing this little story, which meant lots and lots of delays in updates, but you stuck with it! I love you for that!**

**2) Again, in case you forgot, the credit for this plot idea goes to sailormoonluver218. Brilliant. Brilliant brilliant brilliant. (:**

**3) To those of you who added this story to your favorites list, I'm really really glad you enjoyed it that much. I hope I can continue to please in the future (:**

**4) To those of you who reviewed this story everytime I update, thank you. Really, thank you. I've been questioning my goal of becoming an author recently, but you guys have reminded me why I do what I do. Thank you.**

**5) To those of you who added me to your favorite authors list, refer to number 4 (:**

**Alright. I think that's it. I don't own Danny Phantom, Safe and Sound (by Taylor Swift), or Wish You Were Here (by Avril Lavigne).**

**Enjoy (:**

* * *

><p><strong>Darkness<strong>

**Chapter Ten: **Safe And Sound

**January 1, 2012**

* * *

><p>Danny watched in silence as the nurses carted Sam away. He winced when she reached for him, but remained rooted on the spot. He continued to stand in the middle of the floor long after Sam had disappeared into the bowels of the emergency room. It was not until a man pushing a woman in a wheelchair nearly ran him over that Danny finally sat in one of the chairs shoved against the wall.<p>

The man appeared to be pushing his semi-conscious wife. His voice was strained with worry as he described how the woman had fainted - seemingly out of nowhere - just ten minutes earlier, how she was barely breathing now. He tried to follow when the nurses took his wife in the same direction Sam had disappeared in, but the nurses stopped him. He shouted and begged for them to let him follow, but to no avail. He was left to pace the length of the emergency room, throwing desperate glances at the doors his wife vanished behind.

Danny watched the man with a certain amount of facination. _How can one person be so upset over a girl? Seriously, it's a little pathetic. She's just a woman. It's not like she's the center of the universe. She's just a human being. This guy is out of his mind to be so worried about her. I mean, really. It's not like she's...dead... _Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized that he was doing everything he could to not dwell on the fact that Sam was alive by concentrating on anything - and everything - else.

Tucker and Jazz appeared just a few minutes later. Danny noted that Tucker was paler than usual and had developed a nervous twitch in his hands, but other than that, he appeared to be handling the stress of being in a hospital exceptionally well.

"Where's Sam?" Jazz asked breathlessly.

"Nurses took her back. They went through those doors five minutes ago. I haven't seen anyone since." Inwardly, he winced at how hollow his voice sounded.

"Dude, are you okay?" Tucker asked, taking the seat beside Danny.

"I don't know." Danny admitted in a whisper. He ran his hand through his hair and covered his eyes from Tucker and Jazz.

"You're trying to block something out of your mind. I can tell. Your hand is covering your face. What is it that you're trying to block out?" Jazz asked sharply, taking the seat on Danny's other side.

"I'm not trying to block anything," Danny muttered, still sheilding his face.

"You should be ecstatic right now. Sam's alive! It's a miracle! Why are you acting like she's dead all over again?" Jazz asked pointedly.

"Because I can't _deal_ with it!" Danny exploded. The man who had been pacing paused in his stride and glanced over at him. "I thought I lost her, and it was awful. The pain was too much to bear. Now she's back, but...but all I can think about is what it felt like to lose her. She's back, and I'm faced with the possibility of her dying all over again, and not coming back this time. I can't. It hurts too much."

"Danny, that's ridiculous. She's the love of your life. Of _course_ it hurts to lose her. It's supposed to hurt. I would be worried if it didn't hurt. But that's no reason to just...give up on her! You can't just shut her out of your life because you don't want to get hurt in the event that she dies again!" Jazz gripped his arm. "Don't you _dare_ let go of her. She just died and came back to life, essentially. She loves you. You love her. Don't you ever let go of her."

Tucker nodded. "Dude, I've been best friends with both of y'all for years. I have waited way too long for you to tell her how you feel. I swear, if you let her slip away...I'll fight you," The corners of Danny's mouth twitched in an effort not to smile. "Seriously. You guys were made for each other. Don't let her go."

"Excuse me," It was the man who had been pacing. Jazz and Tucker glanced at Danny, who had eyes for no one other than this man. "I couldn't help but to overhear...I just wanted to tell you that my wife was once in a very bad car accident. She was in a coma for a month. The doctors told us that she wasn't going to make it. And when she did...let me tell you, it was a lot like what you've described happening to your Sam. Trust me when I say that you need to grab her and never let her go. Ever. Understand?" Danny nodded. "Good."

A nurse appeared, clutching a clipboard to her chest. She glanced down at it. "Stephanie Erikson?" She called, glancing around the room. The man who had been pacing turned and nodded. "If you'll follow me, sir."

The man followed her back, leaving Danny, Tucker, and Jazz alone in the waiting room. "Who _was_ that guy?" Tucker asked quietly after he had gone.

"He came in right after me pushing his wife in a wheelchair. I don't know anything else about him," Danny's eyes lingered on the doors he had gone through. Two words the man had said were resonating in his mind: _"Your Sam." My Sam. She's mine._

_Oh man. What is wrong with me?_

Unable to contain the sudden urge to run to Sam, Danny leapt to his feet. He began pacing, just like the man had been before. Distantly, Danny heard Tucker and Jazz talking, but he did not make an effort to follow their conversation. His mind was on Sam.

The same nurse appeared in the doorway. "Samantha Manson?" She called.

Danny, Tucker, and Jazz followed the nurse to the back of the emergency room. Danny glanced through an open doorway and spotted the man sitting beside his wife, who was asleep on a bed. He was clutching her hand as if it were a lifeline. Suddenly, Danny was incredibly impatient to see Sam again.

"We had to put her under sedation so that we could clean her wounds," The nurse explained. "She's actually well on the way to recovery. She'll be able to go home tonight. We just wanted to hold her to make sure that the pain medication we gave her sat well. She's awake, though. You can go in an see her."

They were standing in front of a closed door. The nurse pushed it open and ushered the three teens inside. Danny's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room quickly. She was sitting on a gurney, her feet dangling over the edge. She was smiling. He realized how pale she had been in the park, that she had been trembling; now she was the picture of health. Besides the stitches he spotted on her head and the bandages wrapped tightly around her torso. At least they weren't stained with blood anymore.

"Hey guys," She grinned.

"You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice!" Tucker said. She laughed, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "We missed you so much. You have no idea,"

"I'm sorry...I didn't exactly have any control over where I ended up for five days,"

"Where _did _you end up?" Jazz asked, settling into a chair beside Sam. Tucker joined Sam on the gurney while Danny leaned against the doorframe.

"Frostbite's place. I'm not entirely sure how he knew where I was or that I needed help, but I think it has something to do with that radio tower we built in the Ghost Zone." Her statement was met with blank stares. "You know, the one we built in case of an emergency? Oh, come on! We decided that we needed a system to keep us in touch in case we ever got seperated in the Ghost Zone and the Fenton Phones were out?"

"I vaguely remember that," Tucker said slowly.

"Well, you should. You dropped your radio, remember? That's what Frostbite found. I think. And somehow...it picked up the signal from the speakers that Dan had set up,"

"Glad I dropped it, then," Tucker grinned. Sam nodded. "Speaking of Dan..."

"He's gone. For good. One of Frostbite's...people...destroyed him. He won't ever bother us again," There was a pregnant pause after her words in which each of them took in the meaning of what she said.

"That's...great," Jazz said finally. There were quiet murmurs of agreement. "So...when do you get to go home?"

"They said they'll let me go whenever I want...so, now, I guess." She laughed.

"Cool!" Jazz smiled. "Do you want me to give you a ride? My car's out front,"

"Sure, that'd be great! Thanks!" Danny realized that Sam was studiously avoiding his gaze. His heart thumped uneasily. _Crap. I screwed this up so bad_...

* * *

><p>Sam had never realized how wonderful her parents were until she returned home that evening. They had been searching for her since finding her room half-destroyed, but they had the foresight to repair the damage done to her belongings. So when she finally did return home, her room was virtually as good as new. After demanding to know what had happened to her - to which she responded with a thoroughly convincing tale of a ghost attack, kidnapping, escape, and pure clumsiness (which was how she claimed she had gotten stabbed, by unluckily tripping into a sharp, branchy bush as she fled) - they took her to her room, allowed her to sink into her plush pillows and soft blankets, brought her vegan soup, and left her to her devices.<p>

Sam checked the loose floorboard, to find that all the CDs except the ones intended for her parents and grandmother had been removed. She smiled. Tucker had done his job.

But suddenly, her heart dropped. She had confessed her love for Danny. He had seen it. _No wonder he was acting so strangely...God, I should have known the moment Jazz recognized the song! Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

She tried not to jump too theatrically when she heard a light _tap tap!_ on her window later than night. She had been expecting him. Fearing him, if she was being honest. She kept her gaze down when he slid through the wall. It was not until he flashed to Fenton that she finally looked up.

And what she saw was a broken shell of her best friend. He looked as if he hadn't slept in days; he probably hadn't. He was shaking. His skin was pale, even more pale than when he was in his ghost form. He looked as if one solid hit could make him dissentigrate. Sam was shocked. She had never seen him looking so frail.

He sat on the foot of her bed, keeping a good two-foot distance between himself and her feet. She watched him, waiting for it to come. She knew he would be angry, scared, sad. Mostly angry.

"Can...will you...sing for me?" He asked quietly. She stared at him in disbelief. _Sing?_

"Why?" She whispered, trying not to remember Dan asking her to do the very same thing.

"Jazz...she...she showed me the song you wrote about that night...and ever since then...I just...I need to hear you. Really hear you. Please,"

She hesitated a moment longer. His eyes were clear. Begging her. _He is not Dan. He will not hurt you. _"My guitar is beneath my bed. Will you get it for me?"

Wordlessly, he crouched beside the bed and pulled her guitar out. He handed it to her, his eyes on her face. She began strumming, a quicker melody than the song she had written for him.

_"I can be tough _  
><em>I can be strong <em>  
><em>But with you <em>  
><em>It's not like that at all<em>  
><em>There's a girl <em>  
><em>That gives a shit <em>  
><em>Behind this wall <em>  
><em>You just walk through it<em>

_And I remember all those crazy things you said _  
><em>You left them running through my head <em>  
><em>You're always there <em>  
><em>You're everywhere <em>  
><em>But right now I wish you were here <em>  
><em>All those crazy things we did <em>  
><em>Didn't think about it just went with it <em>  
><em>You're always there <em>  
><em>You're everywhere <em>  
><em>But right now I wish you were here<em>

_Damn, damn, damn_  
><em>What I'd do to have you here, here, here <em>  
><em>I wish you were here <em>  
><em>Damn, damn, damn <em>  
><em>What I'd do to have you near, near, near <em>  
><em>I wish you were here,"<em>

Sam paused, her hand hovering over the strings. Something was happening to Danny; he was clenching and unclenching his fists, his eyes were wide and trained on her face, his mouth was open and pulled into a grimace. Sam had just enough time to move her guitar out of her lap and to the bed beside her before his arms were around her. He pulled her into his lap and held her to his chest. She felt him shaking with sobs. She slid her arms around his waist and held on as tightly as she could. She ignored the pain she felt in her shoulder, stomach, ribs, and head, and got lost in his arms, his chest, his scent. _Now_ this _is a hug._

"I lost you...I let him kill you...I'm so sorry..." He moaned into her hair.

"Sh-h-h," She hushed him. She turned her face upward and pressed her lips against his neck. "No. Hush. You didn't have anything to do with that. Sh-h-h." She whispered into his skin. He continued breathing quickly, hoarsely, as he ran one hand up and down her arm. His other tangled in her hair, holding her face to his neck.

She realized she was humming her song; their song. _"Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound..."_

He pulled away, looking down into her eyes. Without really thinking about it, he sealed her mouth with a kiss. His lips were soft and demanding against hers, far better than anything she had ever imagined them to be.

An eternity later, he pulled his face away. His eyes were half-lidded as he leaned his forehead into hers. "I love you, too," He whispered.

_Perfect. Absolutely, completely, wonderfully perfect._

* * *

><p><strong>JUST LIKE YOU (:<strong>

**One chapter left to go. I think.**

**We'll see.**

**Again, thank you for reading! Never, ever stop reading!**

**I love you!**

**:D**

**- Tori**


	11. Even Better

**So marks the beginning of the final chapter of _Darkness._ *sqeal* I DID IT! :D**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

**Enjoy (:**

* * *

><p><strong>Darkness<strong>

**Chapter Eleven: **Even Better

**January 5, 2012**

* * *

><p>"Careful, Sam!" Danny said sharply. He seized her hand and pulled her away from the edge of the bridge she had been teetering on. They were on a walk through the park. They held hands and snuck glances at each other, blushing and smiling and looking away when they made eye-contact.<p>

"Relax, D," Sam smiled, squeezing his hand. "I was fine,"

"Sorry," He said, forcing a smile. "It's just...I'm still so protective of you,"

"It was two months ago," Sam reminded him gently. She was nearly healed now. The stitches in her head had long since been removed, leaving behind a clean white scar that was completely hidden when her hair fell the right way. Her minor wounds had completely healed, and her two stab wounds were nothing more than shallow cuts by that time. It would only be a few more weeks before the scabs fell away and left her with two horrible, but well-earned scars.

"I know. It still feels like yesterday, though," Danny admitted. He pulled her closer as they crossed the bridge, closing his eyes and breathing in the scent of her shampoo. He was exhausted; he'd hardly slept a wink the night before. He had to stay home that night, something he was not used to anymore. He had been spending every night with Sam since the day she was released from the hospital, but that night she had to be with her parents at the hospital while her grandmother went into surgery. He had offered to wait with her, but she told him to stay home and sleep.

He suffered from a terrible nightmare. He had dreamed that Sam was gone, that she was dead, and that he had only imagined her coming home alive and safe. Dan was after him, laughing, his mouth pulled into a wide leer. His mouth was stained with Sam's blood. Danny awoke screaming, thrashing around in his bed. He was drenched in a cold sweat and tears were streaming down his face. He had to call Sam to ensure that she was, in fact, alive.

She seemed to understand.

She squeezed his fingers between her own, smiling again. "Only it wasn't," She sang teasingly.

He grinned and pulled her against his chest. He pressed his lips against hers, revelling at the fact that he still felt a jolt of electricity down his spine the moment he made contact with her. He rested his forehead against hers when they pulled apart, staring at her violet eyes. He could look at her forever, he realized. Being that close, their heads touching, their noses skimming across each other occasionally, breathing each other's air, was his favorite place in the world. Hands down.

Before, when he had imagined being with Sam the way he was now, he imagined constant make-outs. Fiery, passionate, caution-to-the-wind make-outs. He had a particular fantasy where he would fly into her room, grab her as forcefully as he dared, slam her against a wall, and kiss her senseless. But actually being with her was so much more calm, more gentle. Everything they did was feather-light, full of love instead of lust. They would get a bit more passionate on occassion, but mostly, they stuck with lingering kisses and skimming the tips of their noses across the other's. And Danny loved it so much more than he could have possibly guessed he would.

"I love you so much," He whispered, feeling a boost in his ego when he watched her eyes flutter close as his breath washed over her face.

"I love you, too. You're my hero," She whispered back. And he knew she meant it, she wasn't just trying to make him feel like the man of their relationship or anything like that. He saw the conviction in her eyes, the conviction that she wore during her most heated moments of independence. He kissed her again, getting lost in the sparks she alone created behind his eyelids.

It was a disgruntled call of "Get a room!" that jolted them back to reality. They broke apart and laughed and resumed in their walking, ignoring the looks of disdain other pedestrians shot their way. They didn't know, they didn't understand what a miracle it was for that couple to be in that park. Danny and Sam moved among them, outwardly appearing to be like their fellow citizens, but inwardly being anything but. Their connection was so much deeper than theirs.

Danny was Sam's hero.

He would do anything, he would die, to stay that way.

He would tell her eventually, he was sure. He would try to describe the beast living just beneath the surface that would lie, cheat, steal, kill, and destroy to keep her safe. The day would come when he didn't get tears in his eyes thinking about where his life would be without her. But until then, he would always answer her whispers of _'you're my hero'_ with the thought:

_When the darkness consumes you, know that I will always try to start a fire. It may burn down the forest, it may consume me, but if it can save you from that darkness, I would burn it all._

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you guys enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing!<strong>

**Thank you, and goodnight (:**

**- Tori**


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